USMC WARGAMES IN NORWAY: The tone of this CNN report is a bit breathless but the article is worth the read. During the Cold War the Marines had equipment stored in Norway. The USMC, Royal Marines and a Canadian brigade were supposed to reinforce Norway if Russia attacked. At least at one time that was the plan. After Putin annexed Crimea the US and Norway agreed to pre-position more equipment in Norway.

Here’s some background (from 2015) on Russia provocations in the Nordic region.

UPDATE: Ought to link to my latest Creators Syndicate column which reviews Russia’s cyclic war in Ukraine. It’s definitely related to the USMC’s Norwegian exercise.