Biggest exercise since 1991
NATO is organizing major exercises with 90,000 soldiers to deter Russia
NATO is planning one of its largest maneuvers in years with the “Steadfast Defender” exercise starting in February. The scenario of the exercise is a Russian attack on Allied territory.
“Air Defender 2023”
Fighter jets over Germany: This is what the largest NATO air force exercise of all time looks like
According to information from the German Press Agency, the scenario of the exercise is a Russian attack on Allied territory, which leads to the declaration of the so-called alliance case according to Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. The latter regulates the obligation to provide assistance in the alliance and states that an armed attack against one or more allies is viewed as an attack against all.
Largest NATO exercise since 2018
The largest NATO exercise to date since the end of the Cold War was organized in 2018 with a focus on Norway. Around 51,000 soldiers were involved. The last NATO maneuvers that were larger than the exercise now planned took place before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. At that time there was, among other things, the “Return of Forces to Germany” series of maneuvers. In 1988, for example, around 125,000 soldiers were involved.
For almost two years, Ukraine has been fending off an attack by Russia with massive military aid, especially from NATO countries.