The Pentagon announced on Friday the launch of a large-scale NATO naval exercise in the Mediterranean on Monday with the participation of the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier. amid tensions with Russia, which also announced naval maneuvers at the same time.
The “Neptune Strike 22” exercise will last until February 4 and is intended to demonstrate NATO’s ability to integrate a sophisticated maritime strike force” for purposes of deterrence and defense of the AlliancePentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
Kirby assured that the maneuvers were planned from 2020 and that they had nothing to do with the current tensions over Ukraine.
“The exercise is not designed to counteract the kind of scenarios that could occur around Ukraine”, he claimed.
For its part, Russia announced large-scale naval exercises on Thursday. More than 140 warships and some 10,000 troops will take part in January and February military tests in the Atlantic, the Arctic, the Pacific and the Mediterranean.
Kirby acknowledged that the tense situation with Russia had sparked discussions about the size of the naval exercise, but “after discussions with our allies, NATO decided to go ahead”he explained.