N.A.T.O.-muscle test

Press, 1 September 1980, Page 30

N.A.T.O.-muscle test

NZPA-Reuter - Brussels

More than 45,000 - troops from the'. United States and Britain will, descend on Europe this week to join other Allied forces taking part ;in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s annual large-scale war 'games stretching from Norway to Turkey. i ,: ■ ■ Speedy reinforcement of central Europe by overseas troops is a cornerstone bf the United. States policy-of deterrence in an "East-West crisis because of the Warsaw Pact’s superiority in conventional forces. ■-'

To speed up the arrival of reinforcements, which otherwise would have to come by sea, Washington has provided for the stockpiling of heavy equipment in Europe. Troops can thus fly in rapidly, receive their equipment and move to forward positions. A feature of this year’s “Autumn Forge” exercises is a big contingent of British

ti-bbps, tiie t|biggestv.fo'r ?3Q.: years.- - - : Thirty thousand ' Britons, i two-thirds of them reservists, i will land in Belgium or West Germany to reinforce the British' .Rhine c Army’s' .First Corps and lake part in multh national manoeuvres. ’ . Exercise “Jog Trot” will test Belgium’s capacity to receive the troops through the ports of Ostend and Zeebrugge, help unload, the ships and provide food, shelter and transport for them. The United States programme of quick reinforcement will be able by 1982/83 to more than double the number of American troops in Europe and maybe triple air forces within 10 days of a decision to deploy. The United States now has four divisions in West Germany, plus three brigades that would form the nucleus of three more divisions whose equipment is already stored. Facilities are being built in West Germany, the

Netherlands and Belgium to stockpile- gear for three more] divisions, to bring the • total of rapidly available forces to 10 American divisions. ' . :The 45,000. American and British reinforcements arriving next week in Europe will move on to West Germany, the most likely theatre of any (possible Warsaw Pact attack. I where the biggest ‘manoeuvres take place, . ft' is the sixth successive year - that N.A.T.O. has coordinated a. series of national [exercises under a common umbrella, a concept initiated by General Alexander Haig, tlie former Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. The “Autumn Forge” exercises aim to improve (realistic training and cdordination between Allied forces, often using widely different weapons and materials. < Twenty-five exercises, involving more than 200,000 men, will be held from early September to mid-November. They will coincide with air and sea manoeuvres. N.A.T.O.’s annual manoeuvres will coincide with the Warsaw Pact’s biggest war games organised in East Germany-for 10 years. Exercise “Brotherhood-in-Arms-80” will bring together in the first week of September 40,000 men from six Pact , countries and officers from Rumania.