NATO Holds Largest Military Exercises Since Cold War: Involves 90 Thousand Troops And Thousands Of Alutsistas

NATO military illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/US Department of Defense Current Photos)

JAKARTA - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held its biggest military exercise since the Cold War, training how US forces could strengthen European allies in countries bordering Russia and on the east side of the alliance, if the conflict broke out with "level" enemies.

About 90,000 troops will join the training titled 'Steadfast Defender 2024' which will last until May, the alliance's top military commander General Chris Cavoli said on Thursday.

The main weapons systems (Alutsista) deployed in this exercise include more than 50 vessels ranging from aircraft carriers to destroyers, more than 80 fighter jets, helicopters and drones, as well as at least 1,100 combat vehicles including 133 tanks and 533 infantry fighting vehicles, NATO said.

General Cavoli said the exercise would train the implementation of the NATO regional plan, the alliance's first defense plan in decades, detailing how NATO would respond to Russian attacks.

NATO did not name Russia in its announcement. However, its main strategic documents identify Russia as the most significant and direct threat to the security of NATO members.

"The 2024 STADfast Defender will demonstrate NATO's ability to quickly deploy troops from North America and other parts of the alliance, to strengthen European defenses," NATO said.

Strengthening will occur during the "simulation of conflict scenarios that arise with nearly equivalent enemies", General Cavoli told reporters in Brussels after a two-day meeting with the alliance's national defense chiefs.

It is known that the last claim of more than the current participants is the 'Reforger' which was held during the Cold War in 1988 with 125,000 participants. Next is the 'Trident Juncture' in 2018 with 50,000 participants, according to NATO.

The troops taking part in this exercise, which will involve simulations of personnel deliveries to Europe as well as training in the field, will come from NATO and Sweden countries, hoping to join the alliance soon.

The Allies signed the regional plan at their summit in Vilnius in 2023, ending a long era in which NATO no longer considers the need for large-scale defense plans when Western countries engage in small wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, feeling confident that post-Soviet Russia is no longer an existential threat.

During the second part of the Steadfast Defender exercise, a special focus will be placed on deploying NATO's rapid reaction forces to Poland on the east side of the alliance.

The main locations for other exercises are Baltic countries that are seen as the most at risk of potential Russian, German attacks, which are the centers of reinforcements and countries on the outskirts of alliances such as Norway and Romania.