Up to 60 aircraft will be involved in NATO maneuvers this year to defend the European alliance area with nuclear weapons. As the defense alliance announced Friday, this includes modern fighter jets, as well as surveillance and refueling aircraft. As in previous years, long-range B-52 bombers would come from the US. They would take off from Minot Air Base in North Dakota, it said.
According to information from the German news agency, the Bundeswehr will participate in the “Steadfast Noon” exercise, which starts Monday, which will include Tornado jets. According to NATO, 14 countries are participating. According to the information, the scene of the maneuvers will mainly be the airspace over Belgium, Great Britain and the North Sea.
“No connection to world events”
NATO stressed that “Steadfast Noon” was not a response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and that no real weapons were used. “The exercise, which will run until October 30, is a routine, recurring training measure unrelated to current world events,” the alliance said.
NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu, 64, said: “This exercise helps ensure that the alliance’s nuclear deterrent remains safe and efficient.”
NATO has not provided information on the exercise scenario and details. According to military experts, among other things, during the maneuvers that take place regularly in October, they practice how to safely transport American nuclear weapons from underground warehouses to the aircraft and mount them under the fighter jets. However, the training flights will then be flown without bombs. According to unconfirmed information, US nuclear weapons are said to have been stored in northern Italy, Belgium, Turkey, the Netherlands and Büchel in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The illegal annexation of four occupied Ukrainian territories has recently fueled new concerns about a possible Russian use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, among others, announced at the time that they would defend them with all available means. (SDA)