Biggest NATO exercise since Cold War begins in Norway

More than 50,000 military personnel from 31 nations yesterday opened NATO’s biggest exercises since the Cold War.

Britain’s Royal Engineers build a bridge in Telneset, Norway, yesterday. The Dutch neglected to order cold-weather clothing for their contingent. Picture: Getty Images

More than 50,000 military personnel from 31 nations yesterday opened NATO’s biggest exercises since the Cold War, defending Norway against a possible attack from the east.

The two-week show of strength, intended to project Western readiness to deter Russian aggression, involves the deployment of 250 aircraft, 10,000 tanks and land vehicles, and naval vessels such as USS Harry S Truman, a nuclear aircraft carrier.

A 1600-strong British force is engaged in Trident Juncture 2018 after completing a two-week ­advance by road, rail and sea from the Hook of Holland to NATO’s northern flank. The convoy’s drive through The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden was a test of how quickly heavy contingents of British soldiers and equipment can move across ­European frontiers, after Britain’s departure from the EU.

The manoeuvres involve NATO’s 29 member states plus Sweden and Finland, and are aimed at testing the alliance’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, which was created in 2014 to defend an alliance member within days of an attack.

The Nordic and Baltic states have been pressing for urgent ­expansion of NATO’s ability to defend the region since Russia annexed Crimea and backed rebels in Ukraine, and stepped up its cyber attacks across western Europe. The Harry S Truman, which has 6000 personnel, was sent to join the exercises because of fears that Russia could be ­attempting to limit the movements of Western warships in the region. It is the first US carrier to enter the Arctic Circle since the Soviet Union fell in 1991.

Last month Russia staged its biggest manoeuvres since 1981, Vostok 2018, mobilising 300,000 troops close to China’s border. The Chinese and Mongolian ­armies also took part.

The Kremlin has warned that it could respond to increased NATO activity. “NATO’s military activities near our borders have reached the highest level since the Cold War times,” ­Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said this week. The NATO manoeuvres were blatantly “simulating offensive military action”, he added.

Nordic defence and foreign ministers said they were facing a serious medium-term threat. “Russia has shown both the will and ability to use military force to achieve strategic goals,” they said.

The deployment of thousands of troops and equipment in the harsh environs of the North ­Atlantic and Scandinavia has not been straightforward. The Dutch neglected to order cold-weather clothing for their contingent, forcing them to send funds for the troops to buy their own thermal underwear. On Tuesday four US soldiers were injured in a road ­accident as they delivered cargo to Kongens Gruve, Norway.

Russian media have relished publicising every hitch, including disruption of Norwegian rail services. Train traffic between Oslo and Trondheim was blocked for hours by NATO equipment, ­reported Sputnik, one of the Kremlin’s foreign mouthpieces.

The Norwegian military has set up hotlines for landowners and the public to report damage to their land or property caused by tanks and other vehicles rolling across the country.

“In recent years Europe’s ­security environment has significantly deteriorated,” said NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg. “Trident Juncture sends a clear message to our nations and to any potential adversary. NATO does not seek confrontation but we stand ready to defend all allies against any threat.”

The Russian embassy in Oslo said it considered Trident Juncture an “anti-Russian” exercise and added: “Such activity comes across as provocative, even if you try to justify it as being of a purely defensive nature.”

The Times