Description The Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic, on behalf of all three Major NATO Commanders, gave a presentation on the large-scale exercise "STRONG EXPRESS" which will take place in the autumn of this year. Eleven NATO countries will contribute forces which will include maritime, amphibious and air units, as well as the Allied Command Europe Mobile Force. The aim will be to test and develop NATO capabilities for rapid reaction and reinforcement to strengthen the Alliance's defensive posture in time of emergency.
NATO held its biggest land, sea, and air exercise in history in September 1972 in and off northern Norway. Code-named "Strong Express", the exercise involved 350 ships, 65,000 men from 12 countries, and 700 aircraft. The high point of the exercise was was a series of amphibious landings on the Norwegian coast. Sensitive to Norwegian memories of World War II, only a few German troops landed.
