Despite Moscow’s Nuclear Threat, NATO Rehearses Its Nuclear Mission in Italy
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Moscow is threatening to use nuclear weapons, and NATO is calmly practicing how to use its own: Starting next Tuesday, the alliance will hold its annual nuclear exercise, “Steadfast Noon,” this year in Italy and with 17 of its 32 member states. NATO has just announced the drill. No actual nuclear weapons or live munitions will be used.
Dozens of Aircraft, 10 Days
The exercise is expected to last about 10 days and involve dozens of aircraft. In past years, nuclear-capable fighter jets, bombers, and tanker and surveillance aircraft took part, along with ground troops. NATO would not say which scenarios or equipment will be tested this time, but said the scale is in line with previous years. Last year, Steadfast Noon was centered on the Dutch air base at Volkel, with 71 aircraft from 14 countries and about 2,000 personnel.
The drill rehearses what is known as nuclear sharing: U.S. B61 nuclear bombs are stored in several European countries, including Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Turkey. In a conflict, fighter jets from the host countries would deliver them. During Steadfast Noon, the forces train for that cooperation, from securing the weapons on the ground to flights without real bombs. In Italy, the Aviano and Ghedi air bases are widely believed to be storage sites.
Russia Issues a Threat Over Kaliningrad
This year, the timing is what makes the exercise sensitive. In late September, Russia threatened NATO with nuclear weapons in a diplomatic note, warning the alliance against any attempt to cut off the exclave of Kaliningrad from the rest of the country. Moscow said it was ready to use “the entire arsenal” to defend its territory and could strike “decision-making centers” in member states from the outset of a conflict, Reuters reported. Russian embassies in several European countries published similar warnings. A senior European defense official called it the first threat of its kind against Europe since the Cold War.
Kaliningrad lies between Poland and Lithuania and is home to the main base of Russia’s Baltic Fleet as well as nuclear-capable Iskander missiles. NATO rejected the accusations, saying that none of its exercises threaten Russian territory and urging Russia to end its “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric.”
NATO: “No Need to Worry”
NATO is now at pains to present the exercise as routine. It says the drill was planned long in advance, is not linked to current events and is not directed against any country. Most of it will also take place far from Russia. “There is no need to worry. This is predictable,” Nassima Barrows, NATO’s head of nuclear policy, said, according to The Associated Press. The exercise has not been postponed, she added. While Russia’s nuclear rhetoric is rising, NATO has not observed any big changes to its actual posture that would cause alarm, Ms. Barrows said.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is emphasizing deterrence: The exercise helps “ensure a safe, secure, effective, and credible capability” to “preserve peace, prevent coercion and deter aggression,” he said. It also “sends a clear message of unity and resolve.”
Tensions with Russia have long since reshaped the economy as well: European defense tech start-ups are on track for a record $10.5 billion in funding (about €9.3 billion) this year.
