NATO will start an annual nuclear exercise as Russia threatens Ukraine’s Western backers

NATO conducts major nuclear exercise to test defense capabilities and deter adversaries, led by Belgium and the Netherlands.

NATO will hold a long-planned major nuclear exercise next week, the alliance’s chief said on Thursday (October 10, 2024), a few weeks after President Vladimir Putin announced changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine to discourage Ukraine’s Western allies from supporting attacks on his country.

The “Steadfast Noon” exercise starts on Monday (October 13, 2024) and will run for about two weeks. It will be led by Belgium and the Netherlands, use eight military bases and involve 2,000 personnel and 60 aircraft from 13 nations. The exercise has been held at roughly the same time each year for over a decade.

Bomber aircraft and fighter jets that can carry nuclear warheads are taking part. No live munitions are used. The bulk of the exercise is being held around 900 kilometers (560 miles) from Russia in the North Sea. Moscow has been informed about the drills, NATO officials say.

"In an uncertain world, it is vital that we test our defence and that we strengthen our defence so that our adversaries know that NATO is ready and is able to respond to any threat,” new NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters in London.

The United States and the U.K., with their strategic nuclear forces, are key to NATO’s security deterrence. France also has nuclear weapons but is not a part of the organization’s nuclear planning group.

Angus Lapsley, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Policy and Planning, said the exercise is aimed at proving that the alliance’s ability to counter any threat to its 32 member countries is credible and something that “any adversary would need to take extremely seriously indeed.”

Mr. Lapsley said that NATO has been monitoring the emergence of North Korea as a nuclear power, the rapid expansion of China’s nuclear capabilities and developments in Iran — “but obviously what worries us most is Russia.”