NATO and allied countries have increased their activity in Eastern Europe and conducted a series of military drills across the Alliance in a changing security environment.
To improve readiness, capability and interoperability, NATO regularly conducts exercises, testing forces in the air, on land and at sea to make sure they are able to face all possible scenarios.
Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has changed the face of European security and underlined the need for combat-ready forces to be able to deploy at speed across NATO Allied territory.
“The invasion to Ukraine of Russia underlined again that you need to have capable forces, combat-ready,” the Commander of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, General Jörg Vollmer said. “But you must be able to deploy them as fast as it is necessary to have the effect wherever you need.”
Lieutenant-General Yngve Odlo, Chief of the Norwegian Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH) also added that: “We need to be prepared. And the most important thing I do is to avoid war on NATO territory. That’s my job. And to reach that goal we need to exercise and have a credible capability.
Col. Ryan Gordinier, commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, also stressed that NATO exercises message that it sends is that alliance strong.
“In these times, we’re doing this together as a team,” said Gordinier.
Military exercises such as Cold Response and Brilliant Jump, which took place in the Arctic, are long-planned training exercises that enable troops to practise their skills in sub-zero temperatures on difficult terrain.
More than 30,000 troops from 27 NATO Allies and partners took part in Cold Response ‘22 in Norway in March.