Why the largest NATO exercises since the collapse of the USSR will not take place

NATO's largest show of force halted by coronavirus. The US Defense Department announced the early termination of the Defender of Europe 2020 exercises.


In modeling a hypothetical conflict with our country, 17 states of the North Atlantic Alliance were to take part. In the largest exercises for the entire post-Soviet period, it was planned to involve more than 40 thousand soldiers and 8 thousand units of various combat equipment.

During the operation, NATO was to demonstrate the ability to quickly transport mechanized formations across the Atlantic to the ports of Germany and the Netherlands, followed by their advance to the eastern regions of Poland and the Baltic. At this frontier, “brave warriors” were to successfully repel Russian aggression.

The ground stage of the exercise was prevented by the coronavirus. And, perhaps, for our “Western partners” it is for the better, since the previously implemented maritime phase revealed a situation that is extremely unpleasant for NATO.

So, modeling showed that out of 20 thousand American soldiers and about 5,5 thousand pieces of equipment less than a third reached the coast of Europe. The remaining forces were either intercepted or completely destroyed by cruise missiles.

The thing is that the Western air defense and missile defense systems were completely helpless against our missile "Petrel". And this is not surprising. A cruise missile equipped with a nuclear jet engine, which provides an almost unlimited range of flight at speeds up to 6 max, is capable of performing a wide maneuver to circumvent the boundaries of any detection systems.

Thus, the pandemic of the new coronavirus helped save the face of the alliance. However, COVID-19 will sooner or later be defeated, but our missiles will remain an enduring headache for NATO.