Participants From 29 NATO Nations Assemble For Arctic Defense Exercise - Pentagon

Umer Jamshaid Published October 22, 2018 | 06:35 PM

More than 14,000 US service members have begun assembling in Norway and surrounding areas of the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea in preparation for a month-long NATO military exercise that begins on Wednesday, the Department of Defense disclosed in a press release on Monday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd October, 2018) More than 14,000 US service members have begun assembling in Norway and surrounding areas of the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea in preparation for a month-long NATO military exercise that begins on Wednesday, the Department of Defense disclosed in a press release on Monday.

"Trident Juncture 18 is designed to test NATO's ability to plan and conduct a major collective defense operation - from troop training at the tactical level, to command over large elements of a NATO force," the release said.

In preparation, the US military began moving personnel and hardware from US and European bases to Norway in September, with II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune in the state of North Carolina, executing the complex and logistically intensive task of transporting thousands of Marines and their equipment across the Atlantic Ocean, the release said.

Last week, the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group carried out a simulated air assault, employing naval assets, tactical aircraft and Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit to seize a simulated military objective in Iceland, the release added. The Marines then proceeded to undergo two days of cold-weather training in preparation for the exercise, the release noted.

The Pentagon announced earlier that than 50,000 participants from 29 NATO members - including 14,000 US service members - are expected to participate, utilizing approximately 150 aircraft, 65 ships and more than 10,000 vehicles.

Trident Juncture will take place in Norway and surrounding areas of the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, including Iceland and the airspace of Finland and Sweden from October 25 to November 23.