NATO Holds "Steadfast Noon" Nuclear Deterrence Exercise

Reference News Network reported on October 16 According to the Russian newspaper "Izvestia" website on October 14, on the 13th, NATO launched the large-scale nuclear deterrence exercise "Steadfast Noon" in Italy, with participation from 17 countries. The exercise involved thousands of soldiers and dozens of aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The exercise coincides with the United States' attempts to deploy tactical weapons near the Russian border, while a new arms control agreement to replace the New START treaty has yet to be reached. The Russian side stated that the exercise does not help alleviate regional tensions.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the annual nuclear deterrence exercise "Steadfast Noon" held in Italy aims to "maintain the readiness of nuclear forces and test the allied coordination capabilities." NATO's command emphasized that this exercise is a planned activity unrelated to current international events and does not involve the use of real nuclear weapons.

The exercise will last until October 24, with the number of participating countries increasing from 14 to 17 this year. Finland joined the exercise for the first time in its new capacity and sent staff personnel.

The military practiced scenarios involving dual-capable aircraft (which can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons). Military expert Korniev stated that a key aspect of the "Steadfast Noon" exercise is the practical drill of the "nuclear sharing" plan, which aims to utilize American tactical thermonuclear air-dropped bombs. Korniev said, "The delivery vehicles for special munitions are some strictly defined aircraft types, such as Germany's Tornado fighter jets, or the new generation F-35 fighters used by the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Italy, and Finland."

Participating countries are not limited to those with airstrike capabilities; other countries are involved in logistics, security, and air refueling tasks. In Europe, only the United Kingdom and France possess their own nuclear weapons, and their nuclear arsenals are not under NATO command. Paris insists on an independent strategy and has not joined the NATO nuclear planning group, nor participated in the "Steadfast Noon" exercise. Among nuclear-armed countries, only the United States and the United Kingdom participated in this exercise.

According to the German newspaper "Welt" website on October 13, NATO is practicing how to deploy American nuclear weapons using fighter jets if necessary. Such exercises are held annually. However, the exercise that began on the 13th coincides with an especially sensitive period.

Firstly, NATO's relationship with Moscow is highly tense. In August, after NATO conducted exercises near the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, Moscow sent a letter to NATO stating that if Kaliningrad were isolated or blockaded, it would use all weapons for defense, including nuclear weapons.

Secondly, there is an unresolved question: whether NATO's existing means are sufficient in the face of Russia's "threat" and the uncertainty of American security guarantees.

Now, NATO is trying to convey two signals simultaneously: to demonstrate its nuclear readiness while avoiding Russia interpreting this routine exercise as an escalation of the situation.

NATO hopes to deter potential attackers from attacking member states. To this end, NATO threatens to use nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances, forcing adversaries to consider that the costs of an attack would far outweigh any potential gains.

The United States, the United Kingdom, and France possess their own nuclear weapons. It is estimated that over 100 American B61 nuclear bombs are stored in five NATO member countries in Europe: Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey. The United States retains control over these weapons.

According to Washington, Europe's nuclear deterrence remains assured. The Trump administration's policy was that Europe should take primary responsibility for conventional defense in the future, while the United States continues to provide a nuclear umbrella, with conventional deterrence and nuclear deterrence operating independently.

However, this assertion is questioned. European allies and potential adversaries (such as Russia) may conclude that if the United States has decoupled from Europe in conventional defense, the U.S. president would never risk a nuclear war with Russia for the sake of European allies.

Within NATO, besides the United States, the United Kingdom and France also possess nuclear weapons. However, experts believe that the two countries currently cannot fully replace the American nuclear umbrella.

The United Kingdom can launch nuclear warheads via four nuclear-powered submarines, but it cannot operate and maintain its nuclear arsenal completely independently. The Trident missiles produced by Lockheed Martin need to be sent back to the United States for maintenance. If the U.S. halts technical cooperation, the UK would likely struggle to maintain these missiles' operational capability in the long term.

France's reliance on American technology is noticeably less than that of the UK, and it plans to involve European partners more deeply in its nuclear deterrence system. However, the extent to which this integration will advance remains unclear.

NATO is clearly formulating plans to strengthen European nuclear deterrence. Deploying more American nuclear weapons is one option. If the security situation further deteriorates, Poland, Finland, or Lithuania may become new deployment sites. (Translated by Jiao Yu and He Yingjun)