NATO launches E. Europe exercises
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Around 18,000 troops from 19 mostly NATO countries began annual US-led military exercises in Poland and the Baltic states on Sunday to boost combat readiness on the alliance’s eastern flank.
The eighth Saber Strike maneuvers, which run until June 15, come after it was revealed Poland is considering a proposal to welcome a permanent deployment of US troops to the country.
A Polish defense ministry “information document” emerged this week showing that Warsaw could spend between $1.5 to $2 billion (1.3 to 1.7 billion euros) to help cover the cost of stationing a US tank unit in Poland.
The proposal triggered immediate criticism from Moscow, with the Kremlin insisting that any such deployment “will not benefit in any way the security and stability on the continent”.
The US leads a multi-national NATO battle group in Poland. Germany, Britain and Canada command three others in nearby Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, where Saber Strike maneuvers are planned.
“They (NATO battalions) will be specifically tested during Saber Strike, it demonstrates the alliance commitment to one another,” US Brigadier General Richard Coffman told officials at ceremonies on Sunday in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius launching the exercises.
The exercises demonstrate “the enhanced flexibility of ground and air forces to rapidly respond to a crisis. This allows for the right presence where we need it,” he said.
The US army also set up a new European headquarters in Poland in May 2017 to command some 6,000 of its troops deployed in NATO and Pentagon operations in the region.
The move was one of the largest deployments of US forces in Europe since the Cold War.
Further cementing strong defense ties with Washington, Poland signed a $4.75 billion contract in March to purchase a US-made Patriot anti-missile system, in its largest-ever weapons deal.
Moscow complained about the prospect of the deployment of Patriot systems in Poland and Romania, which it says violates a 1987 arms treaty and could be tailored to shoot missiles at Russia.