More than 40,000 troops will take part in the drills next year, the head of the NATO Military Committee says
NATO will stage a massive military exercise in 2024 involving over 40,000 troops β the biggest since the Cold War β the US-led blocβs Military Committee chair, Admiral Rob Bauer, said on Saturday.
The βcollective defenseβ exercise β Steadfast Defender β will take place in Germany, Poland, and the three Baltic States that border Russia β Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania β Bauer said. The US-led bloc needs to do βmuch moreβ to protect itself against βcurrent threats, but also against reconstituted threats and potential future threats,β the admiral claimed.
Earlier this week, the Financial Times reported that the drills would involve more than 50 ships andΒ from 500Β to 700 combat air missions. The exercise is designed to simulate a clash with a fictional coalition named βOccasusβ, it said, citing the blocβs officials. According to the paper, the drillsΒ are scheduled for February 2024.Β
