NATO to kick off annual nuclear deterrence exercise with more aircraft

PARIS – NATO will kick of its annual nuclear-deterrence exercise Steadfast Noon on Monday with what will be among the largest number of participating aircraft in recent years.

This year’s edition will center around the North Sea area in Northwest Europe, with aircraft operating out of the Netherlands’ Volkel Air Base as the main hub, NATO officials said in a briefing ahead of the exercise. The United States will participate with four F-35s jets in the dual-capable aircraft role for the first time, with that role previously performed by the F-15E Strike Eagle.

The exercise comes at a time of heightened nuclear tension, with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin in February warning of a high risk of direct military confrontation between nuclear powers, and as countries including France and Russia work to modernize nuclear warheads and delivery systems.

NATO officials emphasized the recurring nature of Steadfast Noon, which has been held every October in recent years. The exercise is routine and isn’t targeting any particular country, nor is it linked to any real events, NATO Director of Nuclear Policy Jim Stokes said in the briefing.

“It’s a yearly training and it is regular, and we need to do this because it helps us to make sure that our nuclear deterrent remains as credible and as safe and as secure and as effective as possible,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a video address Friday . “It also sends a clear a signal to any potential adversary that we will and can protect and defend all allies against all threats.”

NATO is stepping up communication around Steadfast Noon this year, which is “not necessarily directed at Russia” or a signal to a particular actor, but is about informing public debate and opinion, according to Stokes.

“We want to make sure that folks understand that we’re a responsible nuclear alliance,” Stokes said. “We are not acting aggressively, we are not using irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. We’re also not doing anything other than ensuring that we are prepared to defend ourselves if we need to, because NATO is a defensive alliance.”

Steadfast Noon will start with briefings of personnel on Monday. Flight operations begin the next day, according to Col. Daniel Bunch, chief of NATO nuclear operations at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.

The exercise won’t use any actual nuclear weapons, though it will involve fighter aircraft and pilots certified for the nuclear mission, Stokes said. Part of this year’s Steadfast Noon will focus on protecting the nuclear assets on the ground against a variety of threats, according to Bunch.

At least 71 aircraft from 14 countries will participate in this year’s edition, with Germany sending three Panavia Tornado jets and contributing four jamming aircraft, while Poland will provide three F-16s and Finland four F-18s, Bunch said.

Rutte said Dutch F-35 jets operating from Volkel will be part of the exercise, while Sweden said it will join with Gripen aircraft . The U.S. will send tankers and other support aircraft in addition to the F-35s, according to Bunch.

This year’s participation compares with around 60 aircraft taking part in the past three editions since 2022, while NATO says “dozens” of aircraft participated in the 2021 exercise. Steadfast Noon will mobilize around 2,000 personnel directly supporting the exercise, according to Bunch, similar to last year .

In addition to a number of countries providing dual-capable aircraft for the strike mission, allies will provide electronic-warfare aircraft, assets for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and command and control aircraft, as well as refueling tankers, “which are vital to get the aircraft the distance to the target,” Bunch said.

Dual-capable aircraft refers to aircraft that can deliver both conventional and nuclear weapons, which includes Germany’s Tornado, as well as the American and Dutch F-35 jets.

While Volkel Air Base will be the main hub, RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. and Kleine Brogel Air Base in Belgium will host supporting elements, and a large contingent of conventional support for nuclear operations will operate from Fighter Wing Skrydstrup in Denmark, according to Bunch.

France isn’t participating in the exercise, as the country keeps its nuclear forces separate from NATO’s command-and-control structure and decision-making process, Stokes said. He said discussions between France and the U.K. on closer nuclear cooperation are encouraging — and enhance security.

“In Paris, they’re continuing to look at ways to also reassure their allies within alliance construct and broadly across Europe, and looking at ways to really sort of bolster nuclear deterrence overall in this security environment, and we think that’s a very welcome thing,” Stokes said.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——北约将于周一启动年度核威慑演习“坚定正午”，届时将有近年来数量最多的飞机参加此次演习。

北约官员在演习前的简报会上表示，今年的演习将以西北欧的北海地区为中心，主要枢纽机场为荷兰的沃尔克尔空军基地。美国将首次派出四架F-35战斗机执行双用途作战任务，此前该任务一直由F-15E“攻击鹰”战斗机承担。

此次演习正值核紧张局势加剧之际。俄罗斯副外长谢尔盖·韦尔希宁在2月份警告称，核大国之间发生直接军事对抗的风险很高。与此同时，包括法国和俄罗斯在内的多个国家正在努力实现核弹头和运载系统的现代化。

北约官员强调了“坚定正午”演习的例行性质，该演习近年来每年十月举行。北约核政策主任吉姆·斯托克斯在简报会上表示，这项演习是例行性的，不针对任何特定国家，也与任何真实事件无关。

北约秘书长马克·吕特周五在一段视频讲话中表示：“这是一项年度例行训练，我们必须这样做，因为它有助于确保我们的核威慑力量保持尽可能高的可信度、安全性、可靠性和有效性。这也向任何潜在对手发出一个明确的信号：我们将而且能够保护所有盟友免受一切威胁。”

斯托克斯表示，北约今年正在加强围绕“坚定正午”的沟通，这“不一定是针对俄罗斯”或向特定行为体发出信号，而是为了影响公众辩论和舆论。

斯托克斯说：“我们希望确保大家明白，我们是一个负责任的核联盟。我们没有采取侵略性行动，也没有使用不负责任的核言论。我们所做的一切都只是为了确保在必要时做好自卫准备，因为北约是一个防御性联盟。”

据北约欧洲盟军最高司令部核行动负责人丹尼尔·邦奇上校称，“坚定正午”行动将于周一开始，首先进行人员简报。飞行行动将于次日开始。

斯托克斯表示，虽然演习将动用战斗机和经过核任务认证的飞行员，但不会使用任何真正的核武器。邦奇称，今年的“坚定正午”演习部分内容将侧重于保护地面核资产免受各种威胁。

邦奇表示，今年将有至少来自 14 个国家的 71 架飞机参加，其中德国将派出三架帕纳维亚“旋风”战斗机并贡献四架干扰飞机，波兰将提供三架 F-16 战斗机，芬兰将提供四架 F-18 战斗机。

荷兰首相吕特表示，荷兰将从沃尔克尔空军基地起飞的F-35战机参与此次演习，瑞典方面则表示将派出鹰狮战机参演。据邦奇透露，美国除了F-35战机外，还将派出加油机和其他支援飞机。

今年的参演规模与2022年以来过去三届的约60架飞机相比有所缩小，而北约方面则表示，2021年的演习有“数十架”飞机参加。据邦奇称，“坚定正午”演习将调动约2000名人员直接参与，与去年规模相仿。

除了许多国家提供可用于打击任务的双用途飞机外，盟国还将提供电子战飞机、情报、监视和侦察以及指挥控制飞机等资产，以及加油机，“这些对于将飞机送达目标至关重要，”邦奇说。

双用途飞机是指既能投掷常规武器又能投掷核武器的飞机，其中包括德国的“旋风”战斗机，以及美国和荷兰的F-35战斗机。

据邦奇称，沃尔克尔空军基地将是主要枢纽，英国莱肯希思皇家空军基地和比利时克莱恩布罗赫尔空军基地将驻扎支援力量，而一支庞大的常规核行动支援力量将从丹麦斯克里德斯特鲁普战斗机联队起飞作战。

斯托克斯表示，法国没有参加此次演习，因为法国的核力量独立于北约的指挥控制体系和决策程序之外。他还表示，法英两国就加强核合作进行的讨论令人鼓舞，并有助于提升安全。

斯托克斯说：“在巴黎，他们继续寻求各种方式，以安抚联盟框架内以及整个欧洲的盟友，并寻求在当前安全环境下真正加强整体核威慑的方法，我们认为这是一件非常值得欢迎的事情。”

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。