Lunic: The key goal of Defender 25 exercise – Rapid deployment of U.S. forces in Europe

Geopolitical and security consultant Nikola Lunic stated that the key objective of the Defender 25 military exercise is the rapid deployment of U.S. forces in Europe, and that the Western Balkans was chosen as a training ground for NATO’s rapidly strengthening eastern flank.

“The main point and goal of this exercise is to train for the rapid deployment of U.S. forces in Europe. As for European allies and partners, their goal is enhanced interoperability with U.S. forces and within the NATO alliance,” Lunic told Kosovo Online.

Defender Europe 25 is the largest U.S. military exercise on the European continent.

It is being held in three phases, and according to Lunic, the exercises — stretching from Scandinavia through the Western Balkans to Central Europe — will involve 25 U.S. partners from allied countries.

In this way, he noted, all participating countries are sending a message of integration into NATO.

“It’s a message of support for integration into the NATO alliance, and there is no doubt that all the partners involved in the exercise will, sooner or later, be on the path toward full integration into the collective security system,” the analyst stated.

He specified that the Western Balkans was intentionally selected as the training ground for the second phase of the exercise, but stressed that this was not because of the region’s countries or their current security situation, but rather to practice operations for NATO’s eastern flank in response to the Ukraine crisis.

“NATO’s eastern flank is being rapidly strengthened, and all capabilities across that entire flank are being upgraded. It’s a pity that we in the Western Balkans are not participating in this exercise,” said Lunic.

He added that this particularly applies to Serbia, which maintains its policy of military neutrality and does not participate in international military exercises.

“Military neutrality is unsustainable in the face of such rapid technological advancement and a completely changed concept of warfare. We are holding onto the concept of neutrality, and in 2022 we introduced a moratorium on all military exercises, which is pointless, isolating us and reducing our military capabilities,” Lunic concluded.