NATO launches massive drills in eastern flank
Led by the United States, the NATO military alliance has launched massive military drills in its eastern flank near Russia.
NATO officials marked the beginning of the Saber Strike maneuvers in a ceremony in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Sunday.
US Brigadier General Richard Coffman said during the ceremony that the war games would serve as a test for cohesiveness and integrity of the alliance.
“They [NATO battalions] will be specifically tested during Saber Strike, it demonstrates the alliance commitment to one another,” said Coffman, adding, adding, “we are fully capable to conduct combined and joined operations.”
He said the drills show “the enhanced flexibility of ground and air forces to rapidly respond to a crisis. This allows for the right presence where we need it.”
Some 19 countries, mostly from NATO, have stationed around 18,000 troops in Poland and three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. A multi-national NATO battle group will conduct the drills under US leadership in Poland while Germany, Britain and Canada will lead the operations in the three other countries.
NATO authorities have indicated that the drills, which will run until June 15, are meant to boost combat readiness on territories where the military alliance faces a perceived threat from Russia.
Russia has been wary of NATO’s increased build-up near its borders while accusing countries like Poland of opportunism by trying to have a permanent NATO presence on its soil. A document from the Polish Defense Ministry released this week showed that it would be ready to spend around $2 billion to help cover the cost of stationing a US tank unit in the country.
Moscow swiftly reacted to the proposal saying any such deployment “will not benefit in any way the security and stability on the continent”.
Tensions between Russia and NATO soured after a political crisis erupted in Ukraine in 2014. The West has accused Russia of having a hand in a protracted military conflict east of the country while it wants Moscow to cede control over Crimea, a former Ukrainian territory which joined Russia after a pro-Western government took office in Kiev four years ago.
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