The new US-led ‘Defender-Europe 20’ exercise, which is months long and lasts from February until July, involves 20,000 US troops - more than those of all its NATO allies put together, and more than at any time in the past quarter-century. Although US officials do not say it is designed to counter an alleged Russian threat, the demonstration of US force capability comes after years of piecemeal reinforcements of NATO's eastern flank following Russia's annexation of Crimea in March 2014.

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