Aboard a NATO warship off the coast of Italy, U.S. allies are conducting a military exercise, simulating what might occur in the event of a possible conflict with Russia.

A CBS News crew on Thursday was flown out by helicopter with the Italian military to HMS Prince of Wales, a British aircraft carrier deployed in the Mediterranean Sea, where there are 26 American-made F-35 fighter jets.

The military exercise, Neptune Strike, brings the U.S. together with nine of its allies — including the United Kingdom, Greece, Poland and Turkey — practicing long-range strikes on NATO's eastern flank , hitting training grounds close to Russia.

The focus of the exercise is to defend critical waterways like the Mediterranean, which connects Europe with Africa and the Middle East, and carries about 30%

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