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In the face of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, while the rest of the world is working to arrest the virus and stabilize the dangerous situation at hand, it is a provocation against all humanity that the U.S. and NATO members -- Canada included -- continue to engage in aggressive military exercises.
Throughout the spring and summer numerous
military exercises had been planned under the umbrella of U.S. Defender Europe 2020. Defender Europe 2020 is a U.S.-led multinational exercise and is the largest deployment of U.S.-based forces to Europe in more than 25 years with 20,000 soldiers deployed directly from the U.S. to Europe. Deployment of U.S. based forces to Europe for these exercises began in February.
While the U.S. military announced on March 16 that these exercises were being scaled back, with some elements outright cancelled in light of the pandemic, still many of the exercises continue. The purpose of these exercises, according to the U.S. military, is to build "strategic readiness by deploying a combat credible force to Europe in support of NATO and U.S. National Defence Strategy" and to test the ability of the U.S. military to "move seamlessly from country to country" mobilizing its forces and equipment from the U.S. and other military bases in Europe and around the world.
 Even with the interruption of some of the planned exercises, the U.S. military's European Command (EUCOM) declared on March 17 that: "This effort has exercised the Army's ability to co-ordinate large scale movements with Allies and partners. Since January, the Army deployed approximately 6,000 soldiers from the United States to Europe including a division headquarters and an armored brigade combat team. It has moved approximately 9,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment from the U.S. military's Army Prepositioned Stocks and approximately 3,000 pieces of equipment via sea from the United States. And, in coordination with Allies and partners, it also completed movement of soldiers and equipment from multiple ports to training areas in Germany and Poland."
Defender Europe 2020 was a huge logistics of war exercise. For example 14 air and seaports in eight European countries were used to stage incoming equipment. Another 13,000 pieces of equipment were to be drawn from the Army Prepositioned Stocks in northwest Europe and deployed across 18 countries for training. The exercises were to test the capabilities of European infrastructure -- roads, bridges, train routing etc., to move large numbers of troops and heavy equipment, such as the retooled Abrams battle tanks across Europe.
The U.S. is now returning troops deployed for Defender Europe 2020 back home "to protect them" from COVID-19, while NATO is carrying out smaller scaled military exercises, all of it aimed at containing Russian "aggression."
An example of these reduced exercises is one being carried out in the Black Sea in Russia's backyard to provoke Russia. Since March 24, Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) along with the Romanian Navy and Air Force are carrying out mine-sweeping and other operations. This NATO formation includes the warships ITS Fasan (Italy), HMCS Fredericton (Canada), TCG Salihreis (Turkey), ROS Regina Maria (Romania) and BGS Verni (Bulgaria). One of the exercises conducted this past week had the SNMG2 missile frigates providing "protection" for NATO ships while Romanian Air Force MiG-21 jets simulated attacks on the ships.
It is unconscionable that while the whole
humanity is united in trying to face the pandemic together and to find solutions, that the U.S. and NATO allies continue spend billions on military exercises and war games. Yet here we have the NATO Association of Canada, which is the instrument of NATO in Canada, heralding that April 4, 2020 is the 71st anniversary of the founding of NATO and applauding the leading role that Canada played in NATO's creation. Enlightened humanity on the other hand demands that we put an end to militarism, war and aggressive military alliances such as NATO.
Dismantle NATO and Bring Canadian Troops Home!
(TML Weekly, April 4, 2020 - No. 11)
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