(Recast) NATO troops have improved ability to deal with crisis: Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that the allied troops have improved their readiness, skills and capability through the military exercise "Trident Juncture" in Italy, Spain and Portugal in the past couple of weeks.

"Over the past weeks our Allied troops have been tested at land, at sea and in the air. Allied forces have improved their readiness, their skills and their ability to work together in crisis situations," Stoltenberg told a joint press conference with Portuguese Defense Minister Jose Aguiar-Branco in Troia, some 130 km south of Portuguese capital Lisbon.

He said the exercise shows NATO's ability to adapt to the security challenges the alliance is currently facing.

"It demonstrates that we can deploy high readiness forces from across the Alliance in a matter of days and it demonstrates that our deterrence is significant and real," he said.

He also expressed his concern over the military build-up of Russia in the Baltic, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, saying NATO has to counter the increasing Russian presence in these regions.

"We have to be sure that we are able to overcome these capabilities, so we can reinforce, so we can move and we can deploy forces if needed," he said.

Stoltenberg, accompanied by Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva, Defense Minister Jose Aguiar-Branco and allied military commanders watched the exercise held in Troia. The allied forces practiced harbor protection operations, an amphibious beach assault and a vessel boarding operation to simulate a security check for contraband weapons.

About 36,000 soldiers from more than 30 members and partner countries of NATO participated in the exercise, which was held in Italy, Spain and Portugal from Oct. 3 and will end on Nov. 6. The largest and most important exercise of NATO for over a decade involved more than 140 aircraft and 60 ships. Endit