NATO draws on Ukraine lessons in major European exercise

NATO and the US military are seeking to improve cooperation across Europe with a large-scale exercise stretching from northern Norway to the Black Sea, a German military official said on Tuesday.

Around 2,000 troops from numerous NATO countries are due to take part in the annual Avenger Triad exercise from October 6 to 15, Major General Björn Schulz of the German Armed Forces said at the US Army's Europe and Africa headquarters in Wiesbaden.

Avenger Triad 26 is not a conventional field exercise but will use simulations, including artificial intelligence, to test how Western armed forces can cooperate more quickly and effectively across national borders in the event of an attack.

Advanced technology and real-time communication via mobile devices are intended to provide forces with a constantly updated picture of the battlefield.

The exercise is part of the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative (EFDI), launched around two years ago to improve coordination and strengthen combat capabilities along NATO's eastern flank.

Learning from Ukraine

Major Ben Schiff of the US military said Western armed forces were drawing lessons from Ukraine, which has rapidly developed its military drone capabilities since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Under the EFDI, reconnaissance drones, ground sensors, radar, cameras and weapons systems can be integrated into a single network, allowing the different components to communicate within seconds. The network is open to all NATO partners, Schiff said.