NATO thanks Russia for 'assistance' during military exercises
During the NATO military exercises Trident Juncture 2018, Russia created obstacles to the operation of the GPS equipment. Nevertheless, Russia unwittingly helped the Alliance forces who performed military tasks to improve skills, stated NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller, Ukrinform reported.
“The representatives of the commanding staff of the exercises said that they expected such actions by Russia. They believe this helped to train better since Russia’s attempts to interfere with the exercises of our troops in real time are the best way to understand what should be done in such cases and how to react,” Gottemoeller commented on the intervention of the Russian Federation in the work of the GPS equipment during the military exercises of NATO.
Earlier, Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä said that Russia could be involved in numerous failures in the GPS satellite navigation system during the large-scale military exercises of the North Atlantic Alliance Trident Juncture 2018.
The largest NATO exercises since the Cold War have been held in Norway since October 25. The purpose of the exercises Trident Juncture 2018 was to test the ability of NATO to restore the sovereignty of an ally after an act of armed aggression. These exercises will also test and certify the NATO Response Forces for 2019. In addition, they should have been a signal to Russia stating that the allies are ready to act together and ensure the protection of the Atlantic. The exercises involved bout 50 thousand soldiers from 31 NATO and partner countries, about 250 aircraft, 65 ships and up to 10 thousand cars.