NATO Troops Train in Trident Juncture Drills in Norway

With 31 countries involved, NATO is currently holding its largest military exercises since the Cold War.

The drills will be held until Nov. 7, with around 50 thousand participants.

About 30 minutes away from the Norwegian city of Trondheim, NATO members participated in testing the article 5 scenario for the first time in decades. According to the scenario, an aggressive country is launching an assault on the coastline near the Arctic. The country under attack is Norway. NATO has been clear that the aggressive country is imaginary in this scenario.

“This is a defense exercise. NATO is a defensive alliance and all nations have the right to exercise their own forces because that’s the core task for NATO, is to show that we have the resolve, that we have the capabilities, that we have the will to defend all allies,” said Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary general.

For host nation Norway, which invited NATO forces in 2014, this was a way to help others train in harsh weather conditions.

Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its military intervention in eastern Ukraine has raised concern among NATO member states, and the drills are a way for the Alliance to strengthen its defenses.