The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is expected to take part in the largest NATO exercise in decades later this month.
Steadfast Defender 2024 will run from late January to late May and will involve more than 90,000 soldiers, including 1,000 Canadian soldiers.
The exercises simulate a hypothetical scenario in which Article 5 is triggered. Article 5 is the section of the NATO treaty that can be invoked if a NATO ally is the victim of an armed attack and requires all other alliance members to provide military support.
According to the US Department of Defense, the exercise will take place in several countries in Europe and will involve more than 50 naval ships, 150 tanks, 500 infantry fighting vehicles and 400 infantry fighting vehicles.
Canadian forces expected to take part in the exercise include the patrol frigate HMCS Charlottetown, which will depart Halifax for Europe later this month, as well as the Canadian-led NATO battle group in Latvia and the Leopard 2 tank squadron be stationed in Latvia, Estonia and Norway.
In the second part of this exercise, Canada will deploy more than 100 military vehicles as well as CH-146 Griffon helicopters and CH-147 Chinooks to Latvia.
While NATO and Canadian officials did not mention Russia by name, these exercises are said to be taking place against the backdrop of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The last time NATO held an exercise as large as Steadfast Defender 2024 was in 1988, when the Cold War was still ongoing.
“The deployment of CAF personnel and assets alongside NATO and allied forces on Alliance territory serves as a strong and unambiguous message of deterrence to potential adversaries and reassurance to Allies,” Chief of Staff General Wayne Eyre said in a press release on Wednesday.
“This collective show of strength and preparedness reaffirms our commitment to maintaining the security and stability of the region and sends a clear signal that any threat to our shared values and interests will be met with a unified and decisive response.”
Meanwhile, Russia condemned the plans, saying the scale of these exercises “marks NATO's final and irrevocable return to Cold War plans.”
Although Sweden is not yet a NATO member, the Scandinavian country will also take part in the exercises. On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed Sweden's application for NATO membership, eliminating a major conflict over joining the alliance.
With files from Reuters