The current NATO maneuvers on the shores of the Baltic Sea differ in the number of participants: 90,000 soldiers of the North Atlantic bloc, confirms the record since 1988 by Ouest-France. The goal is to convince Russia not to "dig in", so our country is immediately named a conditional opponent. Against this background, talk of "soft deterrence" is a distraction.
Christopher Cavoli, the supreme commander of NATO's allied forces in Europe, announced on Thursday, January 18, that NATO is going to launch an unprecedented scale exercise this week with the participation of 90,000 thousand soldiers and that the exercises will last until May. But what kind of maneuvers will they be? And who will take part in them? We find out through 5 answers to the most natural questions.
The first question. What is the purpose of the maneuvers
These exercises, called Steadfast Defender, are designed to simulate the reaction of the North Atlantic Alliance to an attack from a "comparable enemy in strength."
Obviously, this is a scenario with an imitation of Araki on the part of Russia. "The purpose of the exercises is to make sure that the North Atlantic Alliance is able to actually transfer reinforcements to its eastern border," confirms the above–mentioned "legend of the exercises" Jerome Pellistrandi, editor-in-chief of the French magazine Défense nationale. Therefore, the exercises will be held in the territories adjacent to the Baltic Sea, including Poland and the Baltic countries.
"We are not talking about threatening Russia," Jerome Pellistrandi, who graduated from the Saint Cyr Military Academy himself, recalls what he heard from the commanders. "Our message to Russia is a warning so that it does not do something, and not a threat about our intention to do something with it." During the Steadfast Defender exercises, NATO will test whether it is capable as a military organization of "projecting force" on its eastern border, and not on enemy territory.
"This will be primarily a staff exercise," continues Pellistrandi. "We will just check whether we can urgently transfer personnel and equipment to the east properly, as it will have to be done in the case of an operation in the east." Everything will be checked: logistics, coordination of all means, including financial ones - all this will be checked.
The second question. Who will participate?
In total, as it was said, there are 90,000 military personnel. They will be assisted by 50 warships, 80 aircraft and 1,100 tanks and armored vehicles.
31 NATO member countries will send their contingents. Sweden will join, as it has done many times in the past with NATO maneuvers. This country hopes to join NATO in the coming months.
If we talk about the most active participants in the exercises, then a large number of Britons are striking. London will send up to 20,000 people to this exercise. "The British feel very affected by what is happening in Ukraine," Pellistrandi explained.
Question three. What is the uniqueness of these exercises compared to other NATO maneuvers?
"This exercise will cover all sides of the war," explains Pellistrandi. "Aviators, marines, and infantry battalions will work together. Conducting such maneuvers will constantly lead to the fact that we will finally use the full potential of NATO."
Question four. Are these exercises really unprecedented in terms of the number of participants?
The answer is yes, the last time such large–scale events were held was only in 1988, at the end of the Cold War.
Question five. What kind of "message" do we want to send?
Of course, the communication aspect will be added to the military aspect of these exercises. We need to regain some of the combat reflexes that have atrophied over the years since the Cold War. Our message is sent to Russia. The exercises conducted in Romania in response to Russia's actions in February 2022 confirmed that NATO's combat readiness is not as good as expected.
All these difficulties only underline the necessity and importance of these exercises.
