Major military maneuvers involving 30,000 NATO troops and pact partners began in Norway today amid the Western Russian crisis over the war in Ukraine, AFP reports.
The long-planned Cold Response 2022 military exercise aims to test Norway’s ability to receive external reinforcements in the event of aggression by third countries under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which obliges participants to provide assistance to the North Atlantic Treaty.
This is a defense exercise, not a military operation with offensive targets, said the head of Norway’s operational command, General Ingve Odlo, who is leading the exercise.
Organized every two years, these naval, air, ground and landing maneuvers take place over large areas of Norwegian territory, including the Arctic Circle, at a distance of several hundred kilometers from the Russian-Norwegian border.
Cold Response 2022 also includes Sweden and Finland, which are not members of NATO, but have been approaching a pact in recent years. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has revived discussions about their possible accession.
Exercises involving 200 aircraft and about 50 ships, which will last until April 1, began with naval operations and the transfer to shore of a French-led NATO rapid reaction force.