NATO plans major military maneuver in Russia’s backyard

NATO has planned a major military maneuver in eastern Europe in November to hone its conventional warfare skills, with NATO’s top commander claiming the exercise is not aimed at Russia.
NATO plans major military maneuver in Russia’s backyard Exercise “Steadfast Jazz” in Latvia and Poland from November 2 to 9 includes air, land, naval and special forces, and will involve some 6,000 military personnel from about 20 NATO countries and their allies, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

According to NATO officials, multinational troops will participate in a live-fire drill in Poland, the largest of its kind exercised by the alliance since 2006.

The maneuver calls for NATO forces to repel a hypothetical invader.

NATO’s military commander, US Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, told a news conference at a NATO headquarters in Brunssum in the Netherlands on Wednesday that the hypothetical invader is not Russia.

“For the past 10 to 12 years we have become incredibly proficient at the counter-insurgency mission that we have been fighting in Afghanistan,” Breedlove said.

He added that if the 28-nation alliance were ever called on to defend a member state, “we have to be prepared for the more high end of military operations.”

Political analysts say that although the days of the Cold War, when NATO and Soviet forces confronted each other, are long over, new tensions have been rising between the two sides over a number of issues, including the West’s push for a war against Syria.

In an interview with Press TV on Wednesday, US political commentator Gordon Duff said that Israelis are pushing the United States into a direct military confrontation with Russia over Syria.

Duff also warned, “If the Obama administration does engage in a war against Syria, and I believe that is Israel’s policy, that war will last more than a decade.”