Hundreds of Dutch, British, Canadian and French troops, as well as liaison officers from Italy, Spain, New Zealand and Australia, have joined 20,000 American forces in a massive exercise along the US East Coast.

Dubbed 'Bold Alligator', the drill is the largest amphibious exercise conducted by the fleet in the last 10 years. The nine forces involved will be fighting a fictional enemy that bears more than a passing resemblance to Iran.
 
An American aircraft carrier, amphibious assault ships including France's Mistral, Canadian mine sweepers and dozens of aircraft have been deployed for the drill, which began on January 30 and runs through mid-February.
 
Monday was 'D-day' for Bold Alligator, with US Marines stepping on to the beach from hovercraft, near the Camp Lejeune base in North Carolina.
 
The threat of mines, anti-ship missiles and small boats in coastal waters conjure up Iran's naval forces, but US Defence spokesmen denied that the scenario is not based on any particular country. One of them added, though, that it was certainly "applicable" to the Strait of Hormuz, as well as other areas.
 
The drill involves the deployement of high-profile F-35 Joint Strike Fighter combat systems. The British and the Dutch are key F-35 partners and a Dutch Naval officer is the operations planner for the exercise, which according to defence expertst, “reflects the important shift in U.S. thinking about the way ahead in global operations.”
 
Sources: AFA/Second Line of Defense/NATO
 
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