At the opening ceremony, Deputy Commander of the Estonian Army Brig. Gen. Artur Tiganik stressed that Saber Strike exercises were among the most important training events, in which the European allies took part.
"I [would like to] thank the US Army, under whose leadership our European friends are participating in the drills. Their participation in the provision of our region's security is difficult to underestimate," Tiganik said.
Meanwhile, US Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Kramer noted that such exercises as Saber Strike strengthened ability of the countries to operate as a combined force and demonstrated the commitment of NATO and its partner nations.
Conducted annually since 2010, Saber Strike is a US-Europe set of cooperative military training drills held between May 27 and June 21 in multiple locations throughout Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
