NATO Trident Juncture Exercises to Move to Active Phase in Southern Europe
08:00 21.10.2015(updated 08:48 21.10.2015)
The NATO Trident Juncture military drills, involving over 36,000 troops from 30 NATO countries together with 140 aircraft and 60 ships, will move into their active phase on Wednesday, October 21.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The second phase of the exercises, that will last until November 6, is set to take place in Spain, Italy, Portugal, as well as in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and comprises air, land and maritime forces.
The scenario for the drills comprises a NATO military response to a range of potential challenges 'from the effects of subversion and terrorist attacks to conventional warfare, cyber-attacks, Hybrid Warfare and humanitarian crisis,' according to a bloc's news release.
'Exercise Trident Juncture will demonstrate that NATO is ready and able to defend any ally against any threat in any form,' NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said at the opening ceremony of the drills' live exercise, held on Monday.
Commander of NATO forces in Europe Philip Breedlove said the Trident Juncture drills send 'a very clear message to any potential aggressor.'
'We seek confrontation with no one. That is why we have invited observers from around the world,' Vershbow stressed.
The first part of 'Trident Juncture – 2015' – two-week-long command and staff drills that began on October 3 – wrapped up in Canada, Norway, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands last Friday.
© Sputnik
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