Germany is preparing to lead NATO’s largest-ever air deployment exercises in a show of force meant as a warning to Russia.
The Air Defender 23 will involve 10,000 personnel and 250 aircraft, including 2,000 US Air National Guard troops and 100 American planes. The drills will be held from June 12-23 and will be held in Germany, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Latvia.
US Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann said the exercises will send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I would be pretty surprised if any world leader was not taking note of what this shows in terms of the spirit of this alliance, which means the strength of this alliance, and that includes Mr. Putin,” she said.
Lt. Gen. Michael Loh, head of the US Air National Guard, will prepare troops for a great power war. “So this is about now establishing what it means to go against a great power, in a great power competition,” he said.
The drills will simulate a Russian attack on NATO territory and come as the alliance is drawing up plans for war with Russia for the first time since the Cold War. At the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius this July, NATO members are expected to approve thousands of pages of secret military plans that will detail how to respond to a Russian attack.
Usually, if you are preparing for war with another country, it means you are going to go to war with that country…(?)………………………………………. I’m going to start practicing some duck and cover drills….
I gave up drinking, recently… I smoke weed now, having said that… I use to drink Black Russians.
Inhale……………………………………………………………………………….
Thanks ED. 😉
No we prepared for a war with the Soviet Union for many many years – if you want peace prepare for war.
Or as in the words of Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus:
Igitur quī dēsīderat pācem, præparet bellum
http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/vegetius3.html
“They have plundered the world, stripping naked the land in their hunger…if their enemy be rich; they are rapacious, if poor they seek to dominate and enslave. They ravage, they slaughter, they seize by false pretenses. All is justified under the guise of bringing civilization. When in their wake nothing remains but a desert, they call that peace.”
~~~Tacitus was quoting the Caledonian Calgacus on the Roman Empire before the Roman invasion of what is now Scotland.
The idea that the USA and NATO have been promoting peace by preparing for war is absurd. Calgagus’s analysis of the Roman Empire is apt.
Only NATO is not occupying any territories now and NATO has not annexed a single territory.
Except NATO is a front for American aggression, and depending on how you define “annexation” and “occupation” there’s never been a more rapacious nation than the USA. Have we annexed Okinawa, or are we just occupying it in spite of the will of the locals?
Syria’s oil fields?
The center of Baghdad?
Hawaii? Puerto Rico? Half of Mexico? How much of a history of annexation do we need? The whole country is essentially annexed from the natives in relatively recent history.
Yes if we dig up ancient history then yes the US is guilty of much the same, however in post cold war terms the US has not annexed any land whatsoever – the US with NATO did occupy Afghanistan for 20 years, But then the US was attacked and we had an article 5 action – was it misguided Yes, but did it end in annexation no.
That would be the US supported by some allies, not NATO and that the US is bad is already a known fact – that does not make it OK for Russia to be bad too.
Again not NATO, but the US and some allies.
Only post cold war history matters – and even then that some are bad actors does not excuse or allow others to be so too.
Why not just make it 21st century wars only, if you’re going to set completely arbitrary rules?
Our massive theft of national resources doesn’t count, because it’s *NATO* not the USA. Of COURSE the USA hasn’t really been at peace in decades, fighting all over the planet (on other people’s land), but this Russia thing is COMPLETELY unprecedented. If you only count NATO. And only the last couple of decades. So beyond the pale! But also totally not like Israel either.
Russia has only existed as an independent state since 1991 so not an arbitrary date, norms for state behavior largely were only set with the establishment of the UN post WWII, so at the very least we should stay with post WWII – if you want me to put all the blame of what the Soviets did on Putin’s Russia, we’ll just waste time on crimes of the past.
The US’s actions as a lone actor does not reflect upon NATO any more than it does on the UN, because it is the US not the UN or NATO – understood?
The US has been at war for more years of my life than it has been at peace, that the US is most often (almost always( a power for evil does not make Russia right – Russia’s action is not unprecedented – there are prior examples the German annexation of the Sudetenland.
If you bothered to read my comment, you will find the words “NATO nations”. Are you claiming that the USA isn’t a ” NATO nation” ?
Regardless, NATO is a creature of the USA. An aggressive military alliance that the USA controls. If the USA was to withdraw, NATO becomes……. nothing.
OK so UN nations did the same – all good?
No NATO is clearly not controlled by the US which is why NATO did not get into the Iraq war neither version one nor version two.
Closer to the truth, but still pretty far away – NATO would survive as a defensive alliance between the European countries and perhaps Canada too – that alliance would still have the nuclear threat, and in a few years it would have a conventional might that would make it difficult for any would be aggressor to overpower it conventionally.
If you want to go that far back, don’t forget the Romans and Ottomon Empire.
Free Gaul!
“…. now”. lol. .
And NATO nations do indeed occupy other nations. Now.
Which nation would that be?
Right in spades, … the strauss-ian dream of classical fascism, the return of (not Camelot) the glory that was Rome.
Highly cynical Michael64.
It may be cynical, but it kind of punctures the notion that we only prepare for war when we intend to go to war.
Fair enough.
I gotta find some place to get some seeds.
For someone who smoke weed you are way too up tight.
Black Russians and Weed, we should’ve been besties.
The preparations for this “Exercise”, could be a large airborne attack on Russia by NATO. WWIII is near and NATO’s past statements say a First Strike is a potential Strategy.
….which of course the Stavka will have gamed out, will be fully prepared for and will lead to get more humiliating defeat for NATO.
But don’t worry, I think this is going to be nothing more than further NATO sabre rattling, mostly for lame PR in the West. Sad stuff.
Amen, brother!
Who the hell wants to attack or invade Russia? An attack would be only in self defense if Putin gets stupid with Nukes which he will not. Stop the war mongering.
So Russia is suppose to be scared of these rainbow flag Pentagon cowards who hide behind Ukrainian civilians?
It’s truly pathetic isn’t it.
Air Defender sounds like a toilet air freshener.
NATO’s hubris is nauseating. Russia won the arms race, fools. Nothing you can do can prevent that right now.
Hahaha. “Air Defender sounds like a toilet air freshener.” You are so right! LOL.
Thanks for the laugh NA…;-}
After which they need only plan the unprovoked provocation.
Love it, Robert! “unprovoked provocation” = unjustified justification = Operation Iraqi Freedom = Operation Just Cause = Operation Enduring Freedom… It’ll ring in my head all day! LOL.
Yeh, does this stuff fool anybody but an 8 yr old? And there’s some $90K/yr officer in the Pentagon whose job it is to think it up.
Interesting that Germany has the lead?…
They must be really mad at Russia after the news that they were attacked by Ukraine after a year of sending all their weapons to Ukraine, and suffering economically for that country they have to real alliances with.
“NATO Preparing Its Largest Air Deployment Exercise in History–The drills will start next week and are meant to prepare for war with Russia” Is that meant to show the entire world exactly how peaceful we are? (Sarcasm)
It is meant as deterrent. Make sure Putin doesn’t get stupid playing with fire.
“A great power competition”… If NATO is planning for war, that is mostly likely what we will have. Taking on the Russians…. One has to wonder if it will go nuclear………………………………………………………….
Again, no nukes. Putin may be paranoid and demented but not stupid. He is the richest man on earth and I’m sure he doesn’t want to let go of his fortune. Plus he wants a legacy close to that of Peter the G. He truly doesn’t want to end up like Hitler or have Moscow St Pete leveled. No Nukes.
I think that is an interesting observation.
maybe they would be better served by sending out a flock of spy weather balloons instead
One of these “exercises” is going to be the start of World War 3.
!!! Inhale…………………………………………………..
“All’s we are saying, is give peace a chance”… Not likely.
“NATO Preparing Its Largest Air Deployment Exercise in History”
That will surely deescalate the threat of world war. For those of you who have a limited education that is sarcasm.
Plan on Russian nuclear forces coming to the highest state of readiness just short of launching during this exercise.
lol……………………………………………………………………………..