Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 10, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
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NATO's Steadfast Noon nuclear drill begins next week in the Netherlands, involving 71 aircraft from 14 nations. The exercise simulates nuclear scenarios to ensure credible deterrence.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -NATO's annual nuclear deterrence exercise, Steadfast Noon, will be hosted by the Netherlands and start next week, with 71 aircraft from 14 nations taking part, officials from the Western military alliance said on Friday.
The exercise "sends a clear signal to any potential adversary that we will and can protect and defend all allies against all threats," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
Rutte made his remarks in a video message recorded at Volkel airbase in the Netherlands, the main host of this year's drill.
Bases at Kleine Brogel in Belgium, Lakenheath in Britain and Skrydstrup in Denmark will also be involved, NATO said.
"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," Rutte said.
The exercise does not use nuclear weapons but simulates scenarios in which they could be used, NATO officials said.
Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials have at times warned of the danger of nuclear confrontation with NATO, which has condemned such rhetoric as irresponsible.
In recent weeks, however, nuclear tensions have cooled. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to maintain for one year the limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons set out in the New START Treaty, which expires next February.
Jim Stokes, NATO's director of nuclear policy, told reporters at alliance headquarters in Brussels that Steadfast Noon was "routine" and "not directed at any country".
"It's also not linked to any real-world events," he said.
(Reporting by Andrew Gray, Writing by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten, Aidan Lewis)
NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a military alliance of countries from North America and Europe established for mutual defense against aggression.
A nuclear deterrence exercise is a military training operation designed to demonstrate a country's ability to use nuclear weapons as a deterrent against potential threats.
Military exercises are conducted to train armed forces, improve coordination, and demonstrate capabilities to deter potential adversaries.
Steadfast Noon is NATO's annual nuclear deterrence exercise, aimed at ensuring the credibility and effectiveness of NATO's nuclear capabilities.
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