BILD: NATO plans largest exercise since Cold War, involving 90,000 soldiers, to deter Russia

NATO is planning military maneuvers that will involve 90,000 soldiers, making it the largest exercise since the end of the Cold War, as reported by BILD.

According to BILD data, the Steadfast Defender exercise will begin in Norway in February. It is intended to train the alerting and deployment of national and multinational land forces. Other exercise locations include Lithuania and Hungary.

The German Armed Forces, Bundeswehr, will provide 12,000 soldiers, 3,000 vehicles, and 30 aircraft, while the UK will provide an aircraft carrier and several F-35 fighter jets.

“The scenario for the exercise is a Russian attack on allied territory, which leads to the declaration of a state of alliance in accordance with Article 5 of the NATO treaty,” BILD wrote.

The NATO treaty’s Article 5 regulates the obligation of the Alliances members to provide assistance in case of an armed attack against one or more allies, which is regarded as an attack against all NATO countries

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The most recent comparable exercise occurred in 1988, while the largest NATO exercise since the Cold War’s end happened in 2018, known as Trident Juncture 2018, involving 51,000 soldiers. Prior to the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991, the Return of Forces to Germany maneuvers were larger, with around 125,000 soldiers participating in 1988, for instance.

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