Large-scale NATO exercises to be held in the Baltics
The Baltic countries will host the large-scale NATO exercise Saber Strike 2016 in June, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported. 10,000 soldiers from 13 member states and partner countries will participate in the exercise.
“The exercises are aimed at improving interaction between member countries in the conduct of a wide range of military operations,” the Estonian Ministry of Defense stated, as cited by Postimees.
As stated on the US Army-Europe’s website, “Saber Strike 16 features allied and partner-nation ground forces conducting live-fire, command post, and cyber/electronic warfare training, plus the integration of U.S. close-air support with multinational ground forces.”
The exercises will take place from May 27th to June 13th, and will involve the redeployment of US troops from Germany to Estonia. As part of the Dragoon Ride II, approximately 1,000 US soldiers and 400 pieces of military equipment will travel to Estonia making stops in the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.