German defence minister visits NATO military exercises in Norway

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen was Wednesday visiting Norway, which is hosting NATO's biggest military exercise since the Cold War.

The exercise, codenamed Trident Juncture, began last week. Around 50,000 soldiers, 10,000 vehicles and more than 300 aircraft and ships are taking part. It involves land, sea, air and cyber capabilities.

Along with her Norwegian counterpart Frank Bakke-Jensen, Von der Leyen was set to visit a base in Rena, north of Oslo. She was later to visit a German camp near Oslo Airport.

Germany's military, the Bundeswehr, has deployed about 8,000 troops to the exercise, topped only by the United States. The strong deployment was partly linked to Germany's upcoming role as lead nation for NATO's fast-response force VJTF (Very High Readiness Joint Task Force).

Joerg Vollmer, German army chief of staff, said Tuesday that despite freezing temperatures, at times minus 15 degrees Celsius, he had felt a positive sentiment among participating German troops.

In addition to the 29 NATO members, partner countries Finland and Sweden have also contributed forces to the exercise, which runs until November 7.