Major military maneuvers involving 30,000 soldiers from NATO and partner countries started on Monday in Norway against a backdrop of crisis between the West and Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Planned for a long time, the “Cold Response 2022” exercise aims to test Norway’s ability to receive external reinforcements in the event of aggression by a third country, under Article 5 of the NATO Charter. which obliges its members to come to the aid of one of their own.
“It’s a defensive exercise,” said the head of the Norwegian operations command, General Yngve Odlo, who is leading the exercise.
“It’s not a military operation with an offensive purpose,” he insisted at the microphone of the TV2 channel.
Russia refuses to send observers
Held every two years, these sea, air, amphibious and land maneuvers are held over large portions of Norwegian territory, including above the Arctic Circle, while remaining several hundred kilometers from the Russian-Norwegian border.
Russia declined the offer to send observers there. “The strengthening of NATO’s military capabilities near the borders of Russia does not contribute to strengthening the security of the region”, commented last week its embassy in Oslo.
The Russians “deployed the capabilities to follow the maneuvers quite legitimately” and “I really hope that they respect the agreements in force,” said General Odlo.
Nearly 3,300 French soldiers
As in previous editions, Cold Response 2022 welcomes the participation of Sweden and Finland, militarily non-aligned but which have moved closer to NATO in recent years. The Russian invasion revived the debate there on possible membership.
Also involving some 200 planes and fifty ships, the exercise, which will last until April 1, began with operations at sea and the dispatch ashore of part of NATO’s rapid reaction force, a position occupied and directed this year by France.
Nearly 3,300 French soldiers and the amphibious helicopter carrier Diksmuide are notably announced.