A Latvian air defense soldier engages simulated air threats during the Allied Spirit exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Hohenfels, Germany, on Jan. 27, 2022. This year's version of the exercise began Feb. 26 and includes 6,500 troops from the United States and allied nations. (U.S. European Command)
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – A multinational exercise aimed at training American and allied troops to defend Europe began at bases in Bavaria this week.
Allied Spirit, running from Monday to March 27 at the Hohenfels and Grafenwoehr Training Areas, is a U.S.-led event that in the past featured tanks, artillery and brigade-level combat training, a U.S. European Command statement said Monday.
The recurring series of maneuvers includes over 6,500 participants from NATO allies and partners, including the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and the U.K.
The exercise comes as tensions between NATO and Russia remain high over Moscow’s ongoing war with Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday was forced to strike down the idea of Western combat troops being deployed to Ukraine, one day after French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in Paris that “we cannot exclude” any options, though he added that there is no present plan to send NATO member troops.
Lithuanian soldiers react to contact during exercise Allied Spirit in Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, on Jan. 24, 2022. This year's version of the exercise began Feb. 26 and includes 6,500 troops from the United States and allied nations. (Uriel Ramirez/U.S. Army)
Soon after, the leaders of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic put out statements saying that their troops weren’t headed to Ukraine.
Russian conflict with NATO combat troops would be inevitable if they deploy to the war zone, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.
Germany and other alliance members have vowed to send additional aid in recent weeks as further American funding remains tied up in Congress.
The lack of supplemental funding for Ukraine means U.S. participation in NATO exercises may have to be canceled by late spring or summer as the Army funnels money from other accounts to train Ukrainian troops, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said during a Defense Writers Group breakfast.
Allied Spirit, directed by U.S. Army Europe-Africa and conducted by the 7th Army Training Command at its Joint Multinational Readiness Center, is unique because it places a partner nation at the forefront of a multinational brigade, the EUCOM statement said.
This year, the German Army’s 41st Panzergrenadier Brigade is at the head of the column.
The combat unit has 4,600 soldiers based in Neubrandenburg, which is approximately 75 miles north of Berlin and 40 miles west of the border with Poland.
U.S. Army units participating this year include the 82nd Airborne Division, the 1st and 3rd Infantry Divisions, 4th Security Forces Assistance Brigade, as well as reservists and guardsmen.
