How would Estonia and its NATO allies respond should the small Baltic state be invaded by Russia?
Russia says that no more than 12,700 of its troops will be participating in what are purely defensive exercises; NATO officials say the real number of Russian military personnel involved could reach 100,000 and are part of a muscular display of firepower aimed at unsettling some of the more vulnerable members of the Western alliance.
It's a grumbling dispute over war games being staged along Russia's northwestern borders this September, that hasn't yet become a full-blown quarrel, but can perhaps be seen as a sign of the times.
Armies the world over routinely send their troops on exercise; checking out the fighting skills, battle-readiness and tactical nous of their forces, playing with new equipment and putting such things as command structures, supply lines, medical backup and interservice cooperation to the test. What, after all, is the point of having armed forces if they don't train and practise and you don't know whether or not they can do what they are designed for?
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