Saber Knight Exercises Start in Estonian City of Tapa - Defense Forces

The international military Saber Knight exercises have started in the Estonian city of Tapa, the country's Defense Forces said in a statement on Monday.

TALLINN (Sputnik) — A total of 600 military personnel from the United Kingdom, the United States, Latvia, Lithuania and Denmark are said to be involved in the exercises.

"The aim of the Saber Knight exercises is to practice the skills of planning and conducting military operations in the Baltic states. During the drills, the participants will have to repel an attack of a simulated state called Botnia," the statement said.

Saber Knight exercises focus mainly on staff procedures. The tactical parts will be conducted at the central training range in Tapa, at the Amari airbase, and at the training grounds in Lithuania and Latvia.

Saber Knight is a preparatory phase for Saber Strike, a US-Europe set of cooperative military training drills conducted annually since 2010. Participating nations this year include Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and the United States.