BRUSSELS – NATO holds the “Steadfast Noon” nuclear exercises

BRUSSELS, 9 October /ATSH-DPA/ – NATO will start next week its annual nuclear defence exercises “Steadfast Noon”, with the participation of troops from 17 member countries of the alliance.

Italy will host the exercises, which start on Tuesday and will last about a week and a half.

According to NATO, their scale is expected to be similar to last year’s, when around 2,000 troops and more than 70 aircraft took part.

NATO stressed that no real nuclear weapons will be used in these exercises.

The aim is to demonstrate the alliance’s readiness and ability to defend its territory and to guarantee a safe, credible and functional nuclear deterrent.

According to the alliance, the exercises are not linked to specific current events and do not target any specific state.

Nevertheless, Russia remains one of the main factors in NATO’s threat assessments.

Under nuclear sharing agreements, American “B61” nuclear weapons, stationed in Europe, can in an emergency be carried by aircraft of participating allied countries.

The United States is believed to keep such weapons at several European bases, including in northern Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and the Büchel base in Germany.

The exact locations have not been officially made public.

NATO has not disclosed the concrete scenario.

Military experts say these exercises, held regularly in the month of October, include training for the safe transport of weapons from storage facilities to aircraft and their preparation for use.