US tanks and other military equipment has arrived in Latvia, as part of a training mission aimed at bolstering support for NATO allies – worried about escalating Russian aggression. <br /><br /> The alliance’s top military commander said in January that exercises in the Baltic Sea region would be beefed up – after a surge in Russian manoeuvres late last year.<br /><br /> “We, as the receiving country, practice offloading vehicles from ships, distributing and transporting them around Latvia and the Baltic states,” said Raimonds Vejonis, Latvia’s defence minister. <br /><br /> “It is crucial, so that we are ready in case NATO’s Article 5 is implemented.”<br /><br /> A US combat team will also flow in for exercises in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.<br /><br /> It comes as hundreds of reconnaissance workers from Russian regions train in the mountains of North Ossetia. <br /><br /> Around 150 former Ukrainian soldiers, who are now involved in military service in Crimea, have been taking part in the drills. <br /><br /> NATO says Russia continues to provide a
