Overview
- Four Turkish and two Spanish ships are set to depart the naval base at Rota in the coming days and are scheduled to reach Kiel on February 11.
- Additional vessels from Germany, France, the Netherlands and Poland will join the formation as it proceeds north.
- Convoy protection with air support will be practiced to prepare for attempts to disrupt large-scale redeployments in a conflict.
- The exercise, the alliance’s largest this year, rehearses moving thousands of troops from the south and west of Europe to the north and east.
- Eleven NATO countries are participating through March with about 10,000 troops, more than 1,500 vehicles and over 20 aircraft, and the United States is not involved due to rotating force assignments.