NATO has announced that its annual nuclear deterrence exercise, Steadfast Noon, will commence next week, hosted by the Netherlands and involving 71 aircraft from 14 member nations.
NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, said the exercise demonstrates the alliance’s unwavering commitment to collective defence.
“This sends a clear signal to any potential adversary that we will and can protect and defend all allies against all threats,” Rutte stated in a video message recorded at Volkel Airbase, the main host location.
Other bases participating include Kleine Brogel in Belgium, Lakenheath in Britain, and Skrydstrup in Denmark.
Rutte added that the exercise was essential to ensure NATO’s nuclear deterrent “remains credible, safe, secure, and effective.”
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Although Steadfast Noon does not involve live nuclear weapons, it simulates operational scenarios in which they could be deployed, according to NATO officials.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, nuclear rhetoric between Moscow and NATO has periodically intensified, though recent months have seen a cooling of tensions. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to maintain for one year the limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons under the New START Treaty, due to expire next February.
NATO’s Director of Nuclear Policy, Jim Stokes, emphasised that the exercise was routine and “not directed at any country,” adding that it was unrelated to any current global events.
