While the scenario for the drill is understandably kept secret, the statement briefly says it will be focused on conventional warfare, meaning the bloc will be testing its capacity to “deploy, mass and sustain combat power” against an enemy more capable and well-trained than the rebel groupings which the USA and its allies fought against in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Moscow fiercely opposes North Atlantic Treaty Organisation moves to reinforce its eastern flank, billed by the alliance as part of its “deterrance and dialogue” strategy. Moscow says that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation military presence is unjustified.
The exercises come just weeks before North Atlantic Treaty Organisation holds a summit in Warsaw where North Atlantic Treaty Organisation troop and equipment deployments to bases in Poland and the Baltic states will be decided.
“We have a very full North Atlantic Treaty Organisation plate, so I wouldn’t expect that”, Rhodes said on Monday of possible revisions to NATO’s nuclear posture.
Poland and the countries that border Russian Federation are becoming increasingly concerned with Russia’s aggression in the region as it continues to provoke Ukraine and occupy Crimea.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated, “I am convinced that every serious and honest politician is well aware that Russia will never invade any North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member”.
He asserted that “there are no threats in this part of the world whatsoever, that would justify [NATO’s] build-up here”.
Russia, in turn, accused the United States of intimidation by sailing a USA naval destroyer close to Russia’s border in the Baltic region and warned that it would respond with “all necessary measures” to any future incidents.
“This will activate the Russian sovereign right to provide its own safety with methods that are adequate for today’s risks”, he said. “Once hearing this, one might think North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is an innocent lamb driven into the corner by “predators” personified by Russian Federation and other countries that are not controlled by the United States”, Konashenkov noted.
“We have been very focused on the priorities of the summit which include Afghanistan, ISIL [Daesh], eastern European reassurance”, Rhodes said, noting that altering NATO’s nuclear posture “has not been a focus”. They will be commanded by Polish Lieutenant General Marek Tomaszycki. The bloc also plans to set up several headquarters and command and control infrastructures, as well as weapons and ammunition depots in the region. Likewise, the Russian government has long opposed North Atlantic Treaty Organisation expansion into Eastern Europe. In May of past year, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that the bloc was planning to deploy new command units in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland, as well as Bulgaria and Romania.
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Then comes act two Konashenkov called “intimidation, ‘ when “retirees of the Cold War, such as Michael McFaul [the US” former ambassador to Russia], Victor Ashe [the US” former ambassador to Poland] or Wesley Clark [NATO’s former Supreme Allied Commander] rise from oblivion with paranoid slogans about the revival of the “evil empire’ and sharpy’s calculations how long NATO could resist before being completely smashed by the Russians”.
