NATO launches military exercises in Norway

SANAA, March 13 (YPA) – NATO will launch large-scale exercises in Norway on Monday, testing its ability to defend members subjected to external aggression.

Some 30,000 troops, 200 aircraft and 50 vessels from 27 nations will take part in the Cold Response 2022 exercise in Norway on March 14, the largest exercise involving NATO troops this year.

The manoeuvres will enable Western nations to hone their combat skills in Norway’s cold climate, including in the Arctic, on the ground, at sea and in the skies.

The exercise will be held just a few hundred kilometres from the Russian border, and while it was planned long before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, it now has added significance because of the war.

“This exercise is extremely important for the security of Norway and its allies. We will practice an allied reinforcement of Norway”, Norwegian Defence Minister Odd Roger Enoksen told AFP.

“It is not being held because of the Russian authorities’ attack on Ukraine, but given the backdrop there is a heightened significance”, he said.

Sweden and Finland are also participating in the Cold Resources 2022 exercises, which run until April 1st, two countries that are not officially aligned but are increasingly close partners to NATO.

E.M