NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday that the alliance will begin annual nuclear exercises on Monday.
NATO officials said that the Steadfast Noon exercises, which will be hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands, will include about 60 aircraft, including F-35A fighter jets and B-52 bombers, from 13 participating countries.
Rutte said in London after meetings with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, “In a world of uncertainty, it is important that we test and strengthen our defense forces so that our adversaries know that NATO is prepared and able to respond to any threat.”
“The entire exercise will focus, in particular, on the United Kingdom and the North Sea, as well as Belgium and the Netherlands,” he added.
The maneuvers will not include live weapons, but officials said that about two thousand soldiers participating in the maneuvers will train for a mission scenario in which warplanes carry American nuclear warheads.
According to officials in the 32-member alliance, the maneuvers are scheduled to begin on Monday and continue for approximately two weeks.
Angus Lapsley, NATO Assistant Secretary-General for Defense Policy and Planning, said that exercises such as (Steadfast Noon) are important to demonstrate the alliance’s nuclear capabilities and deter any possible attack on NATO members.
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