</s>Sweden has started its largest military exercise in over 20 years with nearly 20,000 troops drilling on air, land and sea, including a contingent of over 1,000 U.S. soldiers, amid rising military activity in the Baltic Sea region.

The three-week Aurora 17 drill kicked off Monday and will chiefly take place around the strategic Baltic Sea island of Gotland and the regions surrounding Stockholm and Goteborg.

The Swedish military said the exercise by the non-NATO nation is designed "to deter potential attackers, and force them to carefully consider the risks of attacking our country."

Troops from non-NATO Finland will also attend along with NATO soldiers from Denmark, Norway, France, Estonia, Lithuania and the United States.

Russia and its neighbor Belarus are holding a massive joint-military exercise, Zapad 2017, that begins Thursday near the borders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.</s>Sweden has launched its largest military exercise in 23 years, with several NATO countries taking part.The Aurora 17 drills, set to take place over the course of three weeks, involve a scenario in which Stockholm and the crucial island of Gotland are under attack by a foreign military."If you control Gotland, you have control over the sea and the airways towards the Baltic states," Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist told the Financial Times on Friday, referring to the island which is located not too far from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.The massive exercise will include 20,000 troops, 90 percent of whom are Swedish. The drills will see almost half of the country's armed forces "on the move," according to an organizing officer cited by Newsweek.Around 2,000 foreign troops are also taking part in the drills, more than 1,400 of whom are from the US, according to Sydöstran newspaper. NATO members Denmark, Estonia, France, Lithuania, and Norway are also participating, as well as non-aligned Finland.Hultqvist says the United States' participation in the drills is a "statement of intent," noting that there is "a need for US presence in this region."According to the Swedish military, the drills are designed "to deter potential attackers, and force them to carefully consider the risks of attacking our country," AP reported."It's about handling the realities of the security situation in our part of Europe. It's an important signal to the Swedish population and also to other countries and partners that we take this security situation seriously," Hultqvist said.It comes after the Swedish Armed Forces wrote in a July statement that "several other countries" had been invited to take part in the drills to enhance "Sweden's defense capability against a larger, sophisticated opponent," in what appeared to be a reference to Russia.Lieutenant-General Ben Hodges, commander of US Army forces in Europe, also said in July that "Russia has changed the security environment," adding that the US and its NATO allies "have to react to that," Dagens Nyheter newspaper reported Russia has voiced concern over Sweden joining NATO, with President Vladimir Putin warning in early June that Moscow would be forced to take additional security measures if Stockholm decided to join the alliance."If Sweden joins NATO, that will affect our relations in a negative way," Putin said at the time, adding that Russia would have to react to the decision as if it were "an additional threat."Putin went on to stress that Russia does not pose any threat to Sweden and does not plan to do so in the future.NATO has been staging drills on Russia's doorstep, including large-scale NATO Black Sea drills in Ukraine in July, which involved British and Turkish military vessels. That exercise followed the massive 'Sea Breeze' war games in the same area.In June, 5,300 troops from 10 NATO countries took part in the 'Iron Wolf' military drills in Lithuania, aiming to deter the "Russian threat." Part of the drills took place on a patch of land in the Suwalki Gap, which borders Kaliningrad.Meanwhile, Russia and Belarus are set to begin their Zapad 2017 war games on Thursday, which will involve up to 12,700 troops, 70 aircraft, and nearly 700 land vehicles.NATO has slammed this year's Zapad drills, with Hodges referring to it as a "Trojan horse," and noting suspicions that the war games could be used to move forces and equipment closer to NATO's eastern flank.Both Moscow and Minsk have denied this speculation, saying the drills are purely defensive in nature and pose no threat to any other nation.Moscow has also stressed that the number of forces deployed for the drills will not exceed the limits for mandatory monitoring under the 2011 Vienna document, while Belarus has invited international monitors to observe the active phase of the drills.The latest round of controversy concerning the coming Russia-Belarus drills was last week, when German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen claimed that the Zapad 2017 war games would involve over 100,000 troops.Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said it was strange the Germans chose to voice an alleged figure, after they were provided with the real one."The German side has timely received and does have comprehensive information of the concept, defensive nature and true figure of the Russian troops engaged in the Zapad 2017 exercise," the major-general said in the statement on Saturday.</s>Nearly 20,000 Swedish troops are carrying out air, land and sea drills with a contingent of over 1,000 US soldiers, amid rising military activity in the Baltic Sea region. The three-week Aurora 17 drill kicked off on Monday and will chiefly take place around the strategic Baltic Sea island of Gotland and the regions surrounding Stockholm and Goteborg. But the show of military might has rattled Russia, who branded the drills aggressive and said it was not necessary as Russia posed no threat to Sweden. The Swedish military said the exercise by the non-NATO nation is designed "to deter potential attackers, and force them to carefully consider the risks of attacking our country."

The drills are being held amid fears over Russia's military buildup in the region, which also has also seen several reports of airspace violations by Russian military aircraft. Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist told the Financial Times: “If you control Gotland, you have control over the sea and the airways towards the Baltic states. “It’s about handling the realities of the security situation in our part of Europe. "It’s an important signal to the Swedish population and also to other countries and partners that we take this security situation seriously.” But Mr Hultqvist made it clear the US participation in the drills is a “statement of intent,” noting there is “a need for US presence in this region.” The war games have also raised the possibility of Sweden joining Nato - which would end more than 100 years of the country not being a part of a military coalition.

The issue will be debated in the country’s 2018 election - if the three centre-right allies get their way, Sweden will join NATO ending more than 100 years of the country being outside a military coalition. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned in early June that Moscow would be forced to adopt more security measures if Stockholm joins the alliance. Mr Putin said: “If Sweden joins NATO, that will affect our relations in a negative way." Troops from non-NATO Finland will also attend along with NATO soldiers from Denmark, Norway, France, Estonia, Lithuania and the United States. In a swipe at Russia, the Swedish military said in a statement that several other countries had been invited to take part to back up Sweden’s defence capability against a larger, sophisticated opponent.

Lieutenant-General Ben Hodges, commander of US Army forces in Europe said in July: “Russia has changed the security environment.” In recent months, NATO military forces have been deployed into countries bordering Russia after Moscow's 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. That annexation prompted fears that Russia could be eyeing other ex-Soviet republics, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Russia and its neighbor Belarus are also holding joint military exercises ‘Zapad 2017’ that begin on Thursday. Those exercises have raised concerns among Belarus' beleaguered opposition that Russia could use them to establish a permanent military presence in Belarus, which borders Lithuania and Latvia.</s>BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO and its allies will hold their biggest military exercise in more than a decade from October, deploying 36,000 personnel across the Mediterranean to counter the threat of Islamic State on the alliance’s southern flank.

Briefly turning attention away from Russia, NATO commanders said on Wednesday the alliance would carry out some of its toughest training yet in a complex “artificial threat scenario” in which militants attack on land, from the air and at sea.

“We cannot choose between the eastern threat and the southern threat, we have to train for both,” said General Hans-Lothar Domrose, commander of the NATO military command in Brunssum, the Netherlands, who is preparing the exercise.

After more than a decade of NATO-led combat operations in Afghanistan, the U.S.-led military alliance is shifting to defend its territory.

More than 30 countries - including non-NATO nations such as Sweden and Austria - will take part in the exercises in Italy, Spain, Portugal and in the Mediterranean from Oct. 3 to Nov. 6.

Much of NATO’s focus has been on what it sees as an increasingly hostile Russia, but the rise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is a central concern. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has warned the Arab Spring uprisings have ushered in a “brutal winter” of instability.

NATO has not held exercises on this scale since 2002, when 15 members of the alliance and 12 partner nations tested their capabilities in Norway and Poland.

Asked what had changed since then, Domrose said NATO had to grapple with enemies spreading propaganda via social media able to inspire attacks in North America and Europe, as well confronting militant groups across wide areas.

“Distance is a new factor. We will be working in a huge training area,” Domrose said. “We will focus on speed, on multiple threats, simultaneously.”

The exercises are part of NATO’s commitment to a new “spearhead” rapid reaction force including several thousand soldiers who could be sent to a hotspot in just two days.

Given the migration crisis in the Mediterranean, with thousands of people fleeing war and poverty in Syria and North Africa to try to reach Europe, NATO commanders also promised to react if migrant boats were spotted near their exercises.

“If there is a crisis in the vicinity of one of our ships ... we will stop the exercise and give humanitarian help,” Domrose said. “We will not let people die.”</s>Approximately 1,650 service members from 15 different countries are participating in Exercise Rapid Trident 2017 which began Monday and will last until September 23, Pentagon spokesman Johnny Michael told CNN.

The US involvement will include approximately 250 soldiers from the Oklahoma Army National Guard, 80 soldiers from the California Army National Guard, 45 airmen from the California Air National Guard, and some additional Army and Air Force personnel in support and control roles.

The annual exercise focuses on peacekeeping and stability operations and helps promote interoperability among the partner militaries of Ukraine and the United States as well as its NATO allies, according to US Army Europe. It also serves to validate aspects of the Ukraine's military training program.

The exercise in Ukraine comes as Russia is gearing up for its major military exercise, Zapad 2017, which is expected to involve tens of thousands of troops operating along NATO's borders in Western Russia, the Russian European enclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus.

Military analysts see such war games as a possible rehearsal for a Russia-NATO armed conflict as it is taking place very close to an area that analysts consider to be the most likely target of a Russian offensive. ZAPAD 2017 has also sparked concerns among NATO's easternmost members that Russian forces may stay in the area following the conclusion of the exercise. Russian officials have said that only 13,000 troops will participate but western observers have said that as many as 100,000 Russian and Belorussian forces could be involved. NATO has been critical about how transparent Moscow has been about Zapad 2017, saying it has failed to adhere to international treaties by not allowing observers to monitor the exercise to ensure that it is not a cover for an aggressive military operation. US bombers arrive in Europe as Russia preps for war games NATO's easternmost members have been wary of an increasingly aggressive Russia, particularly following Russia's 2014 military invasion and annexation of Crimea and Moscow's support of separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. "We urge Russia to share information regarding its exercises and operations in NATO's vicinity to clearly convey its intentions and minimize any misunderstandings," Pentagon spokesman US Army Lt. Col. Michelle Baldanza told CNN. "In response to this uncertainty, the US has built a joint, persistent rotational presence of air, land, and sea presence in the region to support our Allies," she added.</s>COPENHAGEN — A Polish seaman drowned in a harbour in southeastern Sweden where an annual Baltic Sea naval exercise is being held, the Swedish navy said Saturday.

Two Polish seamen fell into the water in Karlskrona late Friday and one of them died, Swedish navy Rear Adm. Jens Nykvist said. Neither was identified and no further details were released.

Sweden’s Blekinge Lans Tidning daily said the other seaman remained hospitalized Saturday. Police said no foul play was suspected.

The seamen were among 5,000 sailors participating in the annual Northern Coasts drill with units from Baltic nations and several NATO countries. This year, Sweden is hosting the naval drill.

The Sept. 8-21 exercise is being staged as non-NATO member Sweden hosts another, larger drill with nearly 20,000 troops from Sweden and several NATO countries. The Aurora 17 drill starts Monday and ends Sept. 29.

The Swedish military said the Aurora 17 exercise was designed “to deter potential attackers, and force them to carefully consider the risks of attacking our country.”

Meanwhile, 25 Swedish and Russian peace activists gathered Saturday on the Finnish archipelago of Aland in the middle of the Baltic Sea to mark their opposition to the Aurora 17 drill.

Politicians and the arms industry “have something to gain from the rattling of arms,” said protester Pelle Sunvission.

The drills are being held amid fears over Russia’s military buildup in the region, which also has also seen several reports of airspace violations by Russian military aircraft.

In recent months, NATO military forces have been deployed into countries bordering Russia after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. That annexation prompted fears that Russia could be eyeing other ex-Soviet republics, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Russia and its neighbour Belarus are also holding joint military exercises that begin Thursday. Those exercises have raised concerns among Belarus’ beleaguered opposition that Russia could use them to establish a permanent military presence in Belarus, which borders Lithuania and Latvia.</s>Sweden's ability to detect submarines in the Baltic Sea came under scrutiny after the country's painfully fruitless submarine hunt in the Stockholm archipelago in autumn of 2014 that cost Swedish taxpayers $3 million, while only yielding grainy pics of what was purported to be a " Russian submarine" and later proved to be a civilian boat.

In the aftermath of the submarine hunt, the Swedish Armed Forces were given a number of concrete tasks in order to strengthen the country's underwater defense. Surveillance ships will be acquired, corvettes approaching retirement will be modernized, and new sensors will be placed in the archipelago. Amid other measures, Sweden's "red-green" government tried to reassure the public by reducing conscription.

According to Palmquist, retrieving the nation's submarine defense is not something accomplished in the wink of an eye. Palquist argued that it was hard to estimate the exact amount of time needed, yet surmised that it might take as long as twelve years, given Sweden's armament experiences of the 1980s.

"It takes some time and it's quite expensive," Fredric Palmquist told Svenska Dagbladet.

According to him, the Baltic Sea is a particularly nasty location for hunting submarines. To begin with, it's shallow, which contrary to a layman's understanding makes things more complicated, due to numerous layers having different temperatures. Palmquist compared the brackish waters of the Baltic to a game of mirrors, noting that sonar signals also constantly bounce off the seabed to create a constant background noise.

"It's the laws of physics we are working against," Palmquist said.

In September, the Swedish Navy is taking part in two major marine exercises. First off, there is the Northern Coasts exercise, which for the Navy's part directly transcends into the international exercise Aurora, starting on Monday.

"We can plan and engage in tactical activities without knowing what happens on the other side," Palmquist said.

At the same time, Palmquist said the exercises will hardly be as revolutionary for the Navy as for other parts of the military. Since the Navy mostly consists of permanent units which participate in exercises continuously, Palmquist called Aurora an ordinary exercise "like any other day."

Starting on Monday, Aurora 17 is non-aligned Sweden's biggest military exercise in 23 years. As if incarnating Sweden's mounting anti-Russian paranoia, Aurora 17 features a fictitious enemy, whose borders mysteriously coincide with Russia.

​Aurora 17 will involve a total of about 20,000 sea, land and air troops from all over Sweden, including some 1,500 soldiers from the US, as well as fellow Nordic and Baltic countries. The total cost of the exercise has been estimated at $73 million. On the home front, Sweden, which is one of the few remaining European countries that remain outside NATO, is selling the exercise as a renewed focus on national defense after more than a decade of prioritizing international missions.

​Incidentally, non-aligned Sweden's burgeoning romance with NATO has re-kindled the debate about the country's membership in the alliance. According to 2016 figures from the SOM Institute, NATO supporters outnumbered NATO opponents, while a majority of Swedes still wanted the country to retain its freedom from the alliance.
Sweden starts its largest military exercise in over 20 years. Nearly 20,000 troops are set to participate, including a contingent of over 1,000 U.S. soldiers. The drills will take place on and around the island of Gotland, including soldiers from NATO countries.