Estonia has become the venue for the start of NATO’s two-week military exercise codenamed “Pikne” (Lightning). The large-scale maneuvers are designed to practice rapid response mechanisms and joint defense of the Allies.
Around 3,000 servicemembers from seven NATO member countries are involved: Estonia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Latvia. Over the two weeks, units from all military branches – ground forces, air force, and navy – will be actively training.
The main actions will unfold across a vast territory – in the northern, western, and eastern parts of the Baltic republic. Within the scenario, the Allies will be practicing rapid deployment of forces to a potential conflict zone and effective joint countering of threats.
Representatives of the Estonian Defense Forces emphasized that the exercises are of an exclusively training and defensive nature, aimed at enhancing the cohesion and readiness of NATO’s collective forces in the region.
