TALLINN. June 3 (Interfax) - Saber Strike 2013 exercises start in the Baltic republics on Monday, a source in the Estonian Defense Forces General Staff told Interfax on Sunday.
"The U.S. Command in Europe will hold the third Saber Strike drill on July 3-14 to prepare troopers for joint operations," he said.
The exercise staff will be based in Lithuania this year. Army units will practice interaction at the Latvian Adazi training range. NATO aircraft and servicemen of the alliance's Corps North East will be stationed in Estonia.
The Estonian Air Force will give maintenance to the NATO aircraft, and the Estonian air traffic control center will guide their flights in the airspace of Estonia and Latvia.
U.S. transport С-130 and С-17 aircraft, two KC-135 Stratotankers and four A-10 attack aircraft have arrived at the Estonian Amari airbase. They will stay in Estonia until June 11.
A total of 1,800 servicemen of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the U.S., the UK, the NATO Corps North East and Finland, which is not a NATO member country, are taking part in the exercises.