Monday, September 29, 2008

NATO-led exercises start in Armenia

NATO-led exercises start in Armenia (NSI News Source Info) YEREVAN - September 29, 2008: Over 900 troops from 21 countries have started NATO-led exercises in Armenia, the Armenian Defense Ministry said on Monday. The Cooperative Longbow/Lancer - 2008 drills will be held through October 21 and will involve seven members of the Western military alliance, along with 14 participant states in the NATO cooperation programs Partnership for Peace (PfP) and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI). The exercises, aimed at improving interoperability between multinational troops in NATO-led operations, fall into two parts. Cooperative Longbow will feature staff training, and Cooperative Lancer will be devoted to field drills. The scenario is based on a NATO-led Crisis Response Operation mandated by the UN. It involves the evacuation of non-combatant civilians, counter-terrorist activities, and also stabilization operations.

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