Major NATO airborne exercise starts in Romania

DPA
·1 min read
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Major General Dirk Faust from the Rapid Forces Division speaks about the Swift Response airborne exercise at the 71st Airbase. NATO allies are practising rapid military response here with paratroopers from Germany and other NATO states, having taken off from Hungary and moving to Romania. Kay Nietfeld/dpa
Major General Dirk Faust from the Rapid Forces Division speaks about the Swift Response airborne exercise at the 71st Airbase. NATO allies are practising rapid military response here with paratroopers from Germany and other NATO states, having taken off from Hungary and moving to Romania. Kay Nietfeld/dpa

A major NATO exercise involving airborne troops went into its main phase in Romania on Monday with paratroopers dropped to the south of the city of Cluj-Napoca.

In the exercise, the troops are tasked with liberating the military airfield at Câmpia Turzii, which has been seized by hostile forces. Around 1,500 troops were to land around the airfield.

The "Swift Response" exercise is part of a series of manoeuvres under the name "Steadfast Defender" launched by NATO in reaction to the changed security situation in Europe resulting from Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.

Swift Response, which is intended to exercise the rapid deployment of effective forces, is being led by Germany's Rapid Forces Division (DSK). NATO has described the exercise as the largest airborne operation in Europe since World War II.

German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) paratroopers from the Rapid Forces Division take up position after landing during the Swift Response airborne exercise at the 71st Airbase. NATO allies are practising rapid military response here with paratroopers from Germany and other NATO states, having taken off from Hungary and moving to Romania. Kay Nietfeld/dpa
German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) paratroopers from the Rapid Forces Division take up position after landing during the Swift Response airborne exercise at the 71st Airbase. NATO allies are practising rapid military response here with paratroopers from Germany and other NATO states, having taken off from Hungary and moving to Romania. Kay Nietfeld/dpa