NATO will begin its annual nuclear exercise on October 14, which will last two weeks. This was reported by the press service of the North Atlantic Alliance. "NATO will begin its annual nuclear exercise Steadfast Noon on Monday (October 14, 2024), which will involve more than 60 aircraft that will carry out training flights over Western Europe. Steadfast Noon will last two weeks, in "They will use fighter jets capable of carrying US nuclear warheads, but will not use military weapons," the statement said. According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, "Steadfast Noon is an important test of the alliance's nuclear deterrence, which sends a clear signal to any adversary that NATO will protect and defend all allies."
The alliance emphasizes that the upcoming exercise is a "routine and repetitive training activity that takes place every October." “Steadfast Noon involves 2,000 troops from 8 air bases and various types of aircraft, including aircraft with nuclear weapons, bombers, escort fighters, tanker aircraft and aircraft capable of reconnaissance and electronic warfare,” they explained. In 2024, the exercise involve flights primarily over the host countries of Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as airspace over Denmark, the United Kingdom and the North Sea, NATO said.
"NATO is taking measures to ensure the safety, effectiveness and reliability of the alliance's nuclear deterrent. For example, in 2024, the first F-35A fighter aircraft from the Netherlands was declared nuclear-ready. The NATO Washington Summit Declaration made clear that the primary purpose of NATO's nuclear capability is preserving peace, preventing coercion and deterring aggression. It states that as long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance,” it concluded.
