NATO holds largest exercise since Cold War

About 90,000 troops will take part in the exercise, called Steadfast Defender 2024, which is expected to last until May, top coalition commander Chris Cavoli said on Thursday.

NATO said more than 50 ships from aircraft carriers to destroyers would take part, along with more than 80 fighter jets, helicopters and drones, and at least 1,100 combat vehicles including 133 tanks and 533 infantry fighting vehicles.

NATO holds largest exercise since cold war — Polish military vehicles are transported during the NATO exercise TUMAK-22 at a Suwalki Gap area in Klusy, Poland on November 25, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Cavoli said the exercise would rehearse NATO's implementation of its regional plans, the first defense plans the alliance has drawn up in decades, and how NATO would respond to an attack.

NATO did not mention Russia by name in its statement. But the group's flagship strategy document identifies Russia as the most significant and immediate threat to the security of NATO members.

“Steadfast Defender 2024 will demonstrate NATO's ability to rapidly deploy forces from North America and other alliance regions to reinforce European defense,” NATO said.

According to NATO, the last exercises of similar scale were Reforger – during the Cold War in 1988 with 125,000 participants – and Trident Juncture in 2018 with 50,000 participants.

The soldiers taking part in the exercise, which simulates the deployment of personnel to Europe as well as real-world exercises, come from NATO countries and Sweden, which hopes to join the alliance soon.

In the second part of the exercise, a particular focus will be on the deployment of NATO's rapid reaction force to Poland on the alliance's eastern flank.

Other key locations for the exercise will be the Baltic states - considered most at risk from a potential attack, Germany - a resupply hub - and countries on the alliance's fringes such as Norway and Romania.

Mai Anh (according to Reuters)

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