News from the magazine Politics: For the first time in decades, NATO conducted a large-scale anti-submarine exercise without U.S. involvement, targeting Russian nuclear-powered submarines.
Several European countries and Canada deployed ships and military aircraft to practice detecting Russian strategic nuclear submarines off the coast of Iceland. These submarines are capable of carrying nuclear weapons and could enter the Atlantic Ocean through the waters between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom.
In previous years, U.S. forces played a central role in these annual exercises, but this year, no American warships or military aircraft participated—marking the first time such an absence has occurred. Currently, the bulk of the U.S. Navy's assets are deployed in the Middle East and the Caribbean region.
Facing an increasingly elevated threat from Russia, this year’s NATO exercise essentially serves as a test: whether Europe can independently defend the North Atlantic without U.S. leadership.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1875527819657216/
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