Officials said Wednesday that the exercise, named Trident Juncture, has been planned for years, but is being tweaked to test NATO's ability to respond to new security threats like those highlighted by Russia's takeover of Crimea and the spread of radical groups like Islamic State in the Mideast and North Africa.
It will take place in October and November in Italy, Spain and Portugal, and the adjacent waters and airspace.
British Army Lt. Gen. Phil Jones said for NATO, "the challenge is to make sure that we as military, we're never fighting the last war, whether the last war was 10 years ago or 10 minutes ago."
