TRIBUNNEWS.COM – NATO and its partners will hold exercises in Norway on Monday (14/3/2022) when the war is raging in Ukraine.
Reported CNASome 30,000 troops, 200 aircraft and 50 ships from 27 countries will take part in the Cold Response 2022 exercise, the largest such exercise involving NATO forces this year.
This will allow Western countries to hone their combat skills in Norway’s cold climate, including in the Arctic on land, sea and air.
The exercise will be held a few hundred kilometers from the Russian border.
Although planned long before the invasion, this exercise added significance because of the war.
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“This exercise is very important for the security of Norway and its allies. We will train for the strengthening of Norway’s allies,” Norwegian Defense Minister Odd Roger Enoksen told AFP.
“It was not held because of the attack by the Russian authorities in Ukraine, but given the background it is of increasing significance,” he said.
As NATO’s northern border guard in Europe, Norway wants to test how to manage allied aid on its territory.
According to Article 5 of the NATO Charter, member states must assist other member states that are attacked.
Norway’s neighbors, namely Finland and Sweden, which are officially non-aligned, are currently considering joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
