The manoeuvres, in sync with other allied drills in the region, are part of Poland’s ongoing efforts to bolster security, President Andrzej Duda said on Friday. He added that the next few months will be busy with military activity as the country will be hosting troops from 18 countries, mainly NATO members.
“The troops will mainly be the US army. 37,000 soldiers will take part in Defender-Europe 20, of which 4,000 from Poland. On top of that, the Anaconda drills will engage around 10,000 Polish soldiers,” Duda said.
Another exercise codenamed Anaconda is due to take place in the country concurrently.
20,000 American troops along with heavy equipment are set to arrive in Poland as part of the largest US military exercises in Europe for a quarter of a century. The Defender-Europe 20 are scheduled to run until May with a winding down period extending into June. Their main objective is to test the coordination of US troops with allied forces and local civilian services.
The exercises will include operations conducted in Poland and the Baltic states.
Poland is contributing troops, heavy equipment and air force units, as well as police officers, border guards and firefighters, state news agency PAP reported.
Source: PAP, IAR
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