NATO will begin its annual nuclear drill on Monday, according to alliance Secretary-General Mark Rutte, against the backdrop of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s heightened nuclear rhetoric.
F-35A fighter fighters and B-52 bombers will be among the 60 aircraft from 13 countries participating in the Steadfast Noon exercise, which is being hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands, according to NATO authorities.
Rutte stated in London after meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that “In an uncertain world, it is critical that we test and strengthen our defence so that our adversaries know NATO is ready and capable of responding to any threat.
“The whole exercise will particularly focus on the United Kingdom, the North Sea, but also Belgium and the Netherlands,” according to him.
The exercise does not use any live weapons. But some 2,000 military personnel taking part in the drills will simulate missions in which warplanes carry US nuclear warheads, officials said.
The exercise will start on Monday and last for about two weeks, according to officials from the 32-member transatlantic military alliance.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Putin has frequently warned the West of the catastrophic nuclear consequences.
He stated last month that Russia may use nuclear weapons if it was hit with conventional missiles, and that Moscow would regard any attack on it supported by a nuclear power to be a joint strike.
Meanwhile, NATO officials emphasised that the exercise was not in response to any recent statements from Moscow and that the drills have been held annually for more than a decade.
However, he said exercises such as Steadfast Noon were important to demonstrate NATO’s nuclear capabilities and deter against any attack.
“We seek to deter any adversaries, and principally Russia, in several different ways, including conventional deterrence,” he told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels
