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US begins Astral Knight 2024 exercise in Europe involving 5,000 troops — Pentagon

The purpose of the exercise is to strengthen collective air and missile defense in Europe

WASHINGTON, May 7. /TASS/. The United States has launched multinational Astral Knight 2024 integrated air and missile defense exercise with the participation of 5,000 servicemen from six NATO countries, Department of Defense Sabrina Singh told reporters at a daily briefing.

The exercise "is part of the Defense Department's large scale global exercise 2024 program," she said.

The drills began on Monday and will continue for two weeks. They will involve 5000 military members and more than 50 aircraft from six NATO nations (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, United Kingdom and the United States).

The purpose of the exercise is to strengthen collective air and missile defense in Europe.

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