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Trident Juncture 2015 moves to Spain's Zaragoza

Xinhua, November 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

The biggest NATO exercise in the past 10 years is continuing close to the Spanish city of Zaragoza as Operation Trident Juncture 2015 moves into its closing stages.

The San Gregorio Training ground close to Zaragoza is the location for the latest part of the operation, which was carried out in front of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who explained on Wednesday: "We see many different challenges and threats to the south of the Alliance: we see turmoil, violence, instability and failing states stretching across from Afghanistan to northern Africa."

Stoltenberg highlighted the threats of "instability and extremism in North Africa and in the Middle East" as one of NATO's main concerns.

The 5-week training exercise has seen the participation of 36,000 troops in Spain, Italy and Portugal in an operation to test the readiness NATO forces have to deal with these 'new threats'.

Trident Juncture is focused on testing the effectiveness of NATO's Rapid Response Force, which was increased to over 40,000 in the wake of the Ukraine crisis, while the Very-High-Readiness Joint Task Force, which was set up in 2014, is also being tested.

This force is designed to be able to put troops into a conflict area within 48 hours and Trident Juncture tests their readiness, as well as NATO's capabilities to cope with all of the situations provoked by a conflict on its southern border.

"Nato does not seek confrontation but we stand ready to defend all allies ... Trident Juncture is an important part of NATO's long-term adaptation to a changed and new security environment," said Stoltenberg.

NATO foreign ministers will hold a meeting in December to discuss their southern frontier and as of 2015 will use surveillance drones based in Sicily to increase its information gathering capabilities. Endit