NATO demonstrates cohesive nuclear deterrence posture with Steadfast Noon

By Global Watch | 2024-10-18

NATO's annual Steadfast Noon nuclear exercise commenced October 14, just weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a revision of Russia's nuclear doctrine that lowered the threshold for his country's use of nuclear weapons.

Every October, NATO allies convene with more than 2,000 military personnel and an array of aircraft, ranging from fighter jets, bombers, tankers and reconnaissance and electronic warfare capable aircraft.

This year, 13 NATO allies are participating with more than 60 aircraft and using eight airbases.

The aircraft include the B-52 Stratofortress, F-16 Fighting Falcon, JAS 39 Gripen, F/A-18 Super Hornet, Tornado, Eurofighter Typhoon, F-15E Strike Eagle and F-35A/B Lightning II fighter jets.

Sorties will be flown largely over the host countries Belgium and the Netherlands, including flights in the airspace of Denmark, the United Kingdom and the North Sea.

The exercise focuses on enhancing allied powers' interoperability and demonstrating the alliance's ability to counter nuclear and conventional threats.

No live weapons will be employed in the exercise, with allies focused on fortifying their operational capabilities.

"Steadfast Noon is an important test of the Alliance's nuclear deterrent and sends a clear message to any adversary that NATO will protect and defend all Allies," said new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Russian threats

Russian officials increasingly are leaning on nuclear saber-rattling in an effort to dissuade NATO allies and partners from further intervening in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"In the conditions of a hot war, which is going as part of the Ukrainian conflict ... such exercises lead to nothing but further escalation of tension," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on October 14.

Peskov also claimed it was impossible to hold nuclear arms talks with the United States, something Washington has signaled it is open to, because Western nuclear powers were involved in the conflict against Russia and any security talks would therefore need to be much broader in scope.

His remarks came weeks after Putin September 25 announced that any aggression against Russia by a non-nuclear state with the support of a nuclear state would be considered a joint attack.

Russia will use nuclear weapons in response to a conventional attack against Russia or Belarus if that attack poses a "critical threat" to sovereignty, Putin said.

The remark came during a string of ominous pronouncements by Russian officials and nuclear drills.

In June, Russia conducted tactical nuclear weapon drills with Belarus, stoking international concerns about Russia's increasingly hostile nuclear posture.

Russia publicly released footage of the drills in a clear effort to garner Western attention and concern.

The exercise involved the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, a class of smaller nuclear weapons designed for use on the battlefield.