Posted on 05/10/2015 6:45:37 PM PDT by bob_denard
MOSCOW -- NATO countries are staging wide-ranging air, land and sea exercises near Russia's northern borders this month in response to warnings from the Kremlin and strategic analysts that President Vladimir Putin's threats to use nuclear weapons are more than bluster.
The exercises in Estonia, Lithuania and Norway involve more than 21,000 troops and state-of-the-art military hardware. Coupled with U.S. training of Ukrainian forces and the recent activation of a 3,000-strong rapid-reaction force to defend Eastern Europe, they appear intended to send a message to Moscow that the alliance is ready to defend its new members in Russia's backyard.
Troops, trainers and readiness testers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have been bolstering defenses along what Eastern Europeans call the new Iron Curtain. Although it still divides East from West, this time there are former Soviet subjects on the western side of the ideological border.
NATO's widening presence along Russia's frontiers is a reaction to Putin's aggressive actions against Ukraine over the past year, which have rattled nerves throughout the states that still have painful memories of postwar Soviet domination.
Last Monday, Estonia launched the biggest ground maneuvers in its history, Operation Hedgehog, drawing 13,500 troops from across the 28-nation alliance. In Lithuania, Operation Lightning Strike deployed more than 3,000 soldiers and police officers on a mission to test the effectiveness of military-civilian collaboration. The goal: to defeat the kind of stealth invasion and proxy war that Ukraine has been fighting for more than a year against pro-Russia separatists whom the Kremlin denies arming and instigating.
Submarines and an additional 5,000 sailors from the United States, Germany, Norway and non-NATO member Sweden have been engaged in anti-submarine maneuvers in the North Sea that have also drawn in surface vessels and aircraft from across the Western alliance.
(Excerpt) Read more at nwaonline.com ...
Egos vs. ego. It can end in nothing but war. This is a stupid idea. There were agreements made, so I understand, about NATO boundaries that NATO is ignoring. What do they expect?
Russia is currently invading and conquering right up to NATO’s borders.
NATO must defend itself, and the best way to stop Putin from creating a major war, is to show a strong front.
Weakness and appeasement will never stop Russian aggression, and desire for empire and conquest.
The agreement of years ago was that NATO would not exist up to Russia’s borders. Why do you think they are up in arms about it? You can fault Russia all you want for their tactics, but it is NATO that is overstepping past promises.
Anyway I am not going to spend time arguing this tonight.
Everyone should listen to the John Bachelor Show on Tuesday nights if they want to learn more about the subject.
Russia is invading up to NATO’s borders right now.
Ukraine is not requesting to be invaded and conquered.
NATO isn’t invading anyone, it is within it’s borders.
Active Duty ping.
So Russia is right to invade non-NATO Ukraine and non-NATO nations like Finland and Sweden are over reacting, and NATO should not take defensive measures from our old enemy that is threatening everyone and conducting an invasion?
Are you a Russian?
By the way, your article didn’t say anything relevant.
No i think we’re close to WWIII and if it happen Putin is not some kind of Sadam or Kadafi an invasion of his country is impossible
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