As Winter Comes, NATO Kicks Off Largest Maneuvers Since Cold War

As Winter Comes, NATO Kicks Off Largest Maneuvers Since Cold War
Banners displaying the NATO logo are placed at the entrance of new NATO headquarters during the move to the new building, in Brussels, Belgium, on April 19, 2018. Yves Herman/Reuters
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OSLO—Military forces from 31 countries began NATO’s largest exercise in decades, stretching from the Baltic Sea to Iceland, on Oct. 25, practicing military maneuvers close to Russia, which itself held a huge military drill last month.

As temperatures fell below freezing across training grounds in central Norway, giving a taste of what it means to defend NATO’s vast northern flank, some 50,000 troops, 250 aircraft and 10,000 tanks, trucks and other land-based vehicles were ready.