Starting on Aug. 25, NATO will begin Exercise Brilliant Arrow in central Norway, the first in a series of four training events scheduled through the end of the year to stress the readiness and interoperability of the NATO Response Force, according to alliance officials. “We are operating as a seamless integrated team right now, and we aim to maintain this level of cohesion . . . by intensifying our education, training, and exercises across the air, land, and sea domains,” said Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe, in a blog post earlier this month. Brilliant Arrow, which runs through Sept. 5, will include 40 fighter aircraft, two airborne early warning platforms, and some 800 participants from 10 member nations, he said. Following this will be Exercise Brilliant Mariner in late September and early October focused on maritime readiness. Special forces will then conduct Exercise Brilliant Sword in Italy in October. The final event in this year’s series is Exercise Steadfast Jazz in November in several alliance nations, including the Baltic States, and Poland. (See also NATO release.)
President Joe Biden previewed $800 million in new defense assistance to Ukraine, including “a new advanced Western air defense system,” in closing a NATO summit in Madrid that saw formal invitations offered to Finland and Sweden to join the alliance. Also during the historic summit, mention of China was added…