NATO initiates yearly drill to safeguard its domain using nuclear armaments
NATO initiates its yearly defensive drill involving nuclear weaponry on Monday. Over 60 aviation teams are set to join this year's "Steadfast Noon" event, as revealed by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a meeting in London. Major training will occur in the UK, above the North Sea, alongside Belgium and the Netherlands.
Rutte stated that the exercise functions as a deterrent as well. "In this volatile world, it's essential that we test and fortify our defense, so adversaries understand that NATO is prepared and capable of countering any threat," he clarified.
NATO declined to disclose the exercise's specific scenario. Military analysts suggest that these recurring October exercises focus on securely transporting U.S. nuclear weapons from subterranean vaults to aircraft and installing them beneath fighter jets. However, these flights are sans nuclear payloads. NATO reiterates that "Steadfast Noon" is not a reaction to Russia's conflict against Ukraine.
NATO's alleged "nuclear sharing" policy permits European partner nations to partake in the utilization of U.S. nuclear weapons in emergencies. Unverified information hints at US nuclear weapons being stationed in northern Italy, Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands, and in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, at Büchel Air Base. The German military last worked on "Steadfast Noon" exercises using Tornado jets.
The NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, emphasized that the exercise serves as a deterrent to potential adversaries. The annual "Steadfast Noon" event, initiated by NATO, will take place above the North Sea, involving over 60 aviation teams from various countries.
