Aircraft from 13 Alliance countries, including Germany, will take part in the Steadfast Noon exercises.
NATO will begin two-week annual maneuvers on October 14 to protect Alliance member countries, during which the use of nuclear weapons will be practiced. The Steadfast Noon exercise will involve around 2,000 troops stationed at eight European air bases.
DW reports this, citing information from NATO headquarters in Brussels.
More than 60 aircraft will be involved in the Steadfast Noon air maneuvers as part of the exercise. These will include modern fighters capable of transporting American nuclear bombs stationed in Europe, long-range bombers, surveillance and refueling aircraft.
This year, the Alliance's maneuvers will take place at air bases in Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as in the airspace of Great Britain and Denmark – over the North Sea. Aircraft from 13 NATO countries, including Germany, will take part in the exercises.
As noted in the Alliance, Steadfast Noon is not a direct response to Russia's war against Ukraine. It was also stated there that no live weapons will be used during the maneuvers.
According to the dpa agency, NATO has not released any information about the scenario and details of the exercises. However, a number of military experts believe that this year's maneuvers will include practicing the safe transportation of American nuclear weapons from underground storage facilities to aircraft and their installation under fighter jets. According to experts, the training flights will then take place without bombs.
As suggested by NATO's program for the joint use of nuclear weapons, this type of American weapons stationed in Europe can be used against enemy targets from partner country aircraft in emergency situations. According to unconfirmed reports, nuclear weapons are stored in northern Italy, Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands, and at the Büchel air base in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Recall that on October 10, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that the Alliance would begin its annual nuclear exercises on October 14. He noted the importance of “testing our defenses and strengthening them so that our adversaries know that NATO is ready and able to respond to any threat.”
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