News / Military

US military holding war drills in Europe amid COVID-19 pandemic

Tuesday, 17 March 2020 7:04 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 17 March 2020 7:07 PM ]

US Army soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division line up to meet US and Polish dignitaries during a event at Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, Poland, in support of Defender-Europe 20, March 11, 2020. (Photo via stripes.com)

US forces are holding massive military drills in Europe amid the COVID-19 pandemic across the continent, a report says.

The report said Tuesday that US forces led the multinational military exercise, which although was scaled down due to the coronavirus outbreak, did not stop, threatening the NATO members states.

Defender Europe 20 has been described as the largest deployment of US-based forces to Europe in more than 25 years with 20,000 soldiers deployed directly from the US to Europe between February and May this year to take part in it.

Before the coronavirus outbreak a total of 37,000 personnel from 18 nations were expected to participate in the exercise that is being held in 10 European nations.

The drills, which had already started, are now in the midst of a closed-down coronavirus Europe.

Media said the exercises were designed in preparation of a war, describing them as neither peace- nor confidence-building in nature.

Military experts say that military exercise of this size during this critical time is clearly provocative and a source of escalated tensions between US-led NATO countries and Russia, reminiscent of the Cold War era.

The provocative moves by the US have been repeatedly denounced by the Kremlin.

Moscow has repeatedly warned Washington that it will respond to US hostility.

Earlier in February, the US military reportedly conducted a “mini exercise,” launching a simulated nuclear strike against Russia.