Stay updated with breaking news from Matthias Eichenlaub. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
Europe News: US Navy dock landing ship Gunston Hall departs from Norfolk, marking the start of Nato's Steadfast Defender 2024 exercise. The exercise involves 90,00
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has launched its largest military exercise since the Cold War to counter the perceived threat from Russia.
The U.S. Navy's Gunston Hall departs for NATO's Steadfast Defender 2024, the largest NATO exercise since the Cold War, involving over 90,000 troops and more than 50 ships. The drills aim to rehearse NATO's regional defense plans amid rising tensions, with Russia identified as a significant threat. Not explicitly mentioning Russia, NATO's exercises take place against the backdrop of the conflict in Ukraine. Russia views the scale of the exercises as an "irrevocable return" to Cold War dynamics, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.
The U.S. Navy dock landing ship Gunston Hall left port on Wednesday to mark the first movement for the largest NATO exercise since the Cold War, officials said. Some 90,000 troops from the United States and fellow NATO allied nations are due to join the Steadfast Defender 2024 drills that will run through May. More than 50 ships from aircraft carriers to destroyers will take part, as well as more than 80 fighter jets, helicopters and drones and at least 1,100 combat vehicles including 133 tanks and 533 infantry fighting vehicles.
The US Navy dock landing ship Gunston Hall left port on Wednesday to mark the first movement for the largest NATO exercise since the Cold War, officials said.