Military exercises with participation of 26 countries to start in Europe in April

Defender 23, a large-scale multinational military exercise, will begin in Europe at the end of April.

According to the Pentagon, the maneuvers will last about two months.

Nearly 9,000 American troops and about 17,000 military personnel from 26 allied and partner countries are expected to participate in these exercises.

The maneuvers are scheduled to begin on April 22.

“This annual, nearly two-month long exercise is focused on the strategic deployment of U.S.-based forces, employment of Army pre-positioned stocks and interoperability with European allies and partners,” said Sabrina Singh, during a briefing today at the Pentagon.

The Defender 23 exercise is led by U.S. Army Europe and Africa.

The exercise is designed to demonstrate the U.S. military’s ability to rapidly deploy combat-credible troops and equipment to defend the continent from aggression. Also, training should deter those who would threaten the peace of Europe.

The Pentagon notes that, above all, the exercise also demonstrates the commitment of European nations to increase the scale, capability and interoperability of their own militaries.

“Approximately 9,000 U.S. troops and about 17,000 troops from 26 allied and partner nations will participate and portions of the exercise will stretch across 10 different European countries,” Singh said.

Equipment to support the exercise has begun arriving in Spain this week. About 7,000 pieces of equipment were shipped to the European theater from the U.S. to Europe, Singh said.

Additionally, about 13,000 pieces of equipment drawn from pre-positioned stock will be used during Defender 23.

In addition to the United States, troops from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom will all take part in Defender 23.