NATO will hold its annual nuclear deterrence exercise, Steadfast Noon, next week, with the Netherlands serving as the main host. According to officials from the alliance, 71 aircraft representing 14 member nations will participate in the large-scale drill.
“This exercise sends a clear signal to any potential adversary that we will and can protect and defend all allies against all threats,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a recorded message from Volkel Airbase in the Netherlands, which will serve as the primary site for this year’s operation.
Other bases in Belgium, Britain, and Denmark — including Kleine Brogel, Lakenheath, and Skrydstrup — will also support the exercise.
“We need to do this because it helps us to make sure that our nuclear deterrent remains as credible, and as safe, and as secure, and as effective as possible,” Rutte added.
NATO clarified that Steadfast Noon does not involve the use of live nuclear weapons. Instead, it focuses on simulating scenarios to test procedures and readiness for situations in which such weapons could theoretically be deployed.
Tensions surrounding nuclear issues have fluctuated since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Moscow occasionally warning of potential confrontation with NATO. The alliance has consistently denounced such threats as reckless and destabilizing.
Recently, the tone has eased somewhat. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed maintaining the limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons outlined in the New START Treaty for another year, ahead of its expiration in February.
Jim Stokes, NATO’s director of nuclear policy, emphasized that Steadfast Noon is a regular, long-planned exercise. “It’s routine and not directed at any country,” he said, adding that it is also “not linked to any real-world events.”
