The Baltic-region based Saber Strike military exercises have been an annual part of NATO’s Allied Shield training exercises since 2010.  This year they began in Latvia at 10 am at the Adazi military base in Latvia on 8 June.  Present at the ceremony were recently elected Latvian President (currently Defence Minister), Raimonds Vejonis, of the Greens and Farmers Union, and National Armed Forces Commander Raimonds Graube. The exercises will take place in all three Baltic States and Poland. The joint exercises will host more than 6,000 troops from the United States, Great Britain, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Poland, Norway, Denmark and Slovenia. According to Allied Command Operations, this military exercise will see the involvement of approximately 11,000 troops from nineteen different Allies and three partner nations. These training events are part of Nato's assurance measures in response to challenges on its southern and eastern periphery.See also