NATO is will practice conventional fighting skills in eastern Europe:
After years of fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, NATO plans a major exercise in eastern Europe in November to brush up its conventional warfare skills, but insists it is not practicing with Cold War foe Russia in mind.
Exercise "Steadfast Jazz" in Latvia and Poland from November 2-9 shows the 28-nation alliance refocusing on its core task of defending its own territory as it winds down its long combat mission in Afghanistan. ...
The exercise, designed to test NATO's rapid response force, will involve about 6,000 military personnel from about 20 allied and partner nations and includes air, land, naval and special forces. Multinational troops will take part in a live-fire exercise in Poland, the largest of its kind organized by NATO since 2006, NATO officials say.
We deny that it is focused on the Russian threat. Much as Russia dismisses any conclusions about who might have effectively fired a lot of chemical-filled rockets from a Syrian base, we could say that the exercises are directed at any large conventional army that uses Russian-made equipment that might surge west from Eurasia.
Could be Belarus. Might be Russia. But what difference does it make at this point anyway?
Not that I worry about a Russian invasion of NATO. But it is good to set the precedent that we will exercise within NATO countries freely with the purpose of defending their territory. For one day Russia might again have the capability of rolling west.
And get on REFORPOL, too, while we are at it.
All members of NATO should be defended. We never abandoned West Berlin. New NATO states should have the same level of alliance resolve behind them.
