Conducted in the airspace over Northwestern Europe from the 17th to the 30th… 60 aircraft from 14 countries participated
Russia also usually conducts training at the end of October… NATO chief: ‘We will be closely watching’
For the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nuclear deterrence exercise, which will begin next week, the US long-range strategic bomber, called a ‘flying fortress’, will be deployed once more this year.
NATO announced on its website on the 14th (local time) that the annual nuclear deterrence exercise ‘Steadfast Noon’ will be held from the 17th to the 30th.
Steadfast Noon is an annual joint exercise between NATO member states that is conducted under the assumption of a nuclear war scenario, and this year, 14 countries and a total of 60 aircraft from various types of aircraft are participating, hosted by Belgium.
They train over Belgium, the North Sea, and the British airspace.
It is said to be more than 1,000 km away from the Russian border.
Practical weapons, such as live ammunition, are not used for training, NATO said.
NATO said, “As in previous years, multiple U.S. long-range strategic bombers, the B-52, will participate.”
The B-52 is a representative strategic asset that is counted as one of the three major nuclear forces of the United States along with the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and the strategic nuclear submarine (SSBN).
It can carry up to 31 tons of bombs and fly over a distance of 6,400 km, and it is possible to perform a single mission.
The maximum range is 16,000 km.
NATO introduced that the participating forces included reconnaissance aircraft and tankers, including the latest 4th and 5th generation fighters.
Although tensions have risen due to the possibility of Russia’s use of nuclear weapons following the Ukraine war, it is interpreted as sending a detour warning message by conducting the exercise on a ‘normal’ scale, which is not much different from previous years, as scheduled.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg previously said at a press conference that the cancellation of a long-planned exercise for the Ukraine war would have sent “a very bad signal”.
“A strong military force is the best way to prevent any kind of escalation of tension with Russia,” he said.
At the same time, there is also a sense of not wanting to stimulate Russia more than necessary.
“This exercise helps ensure that the alliance’s nuclear deterrence is safe, robust and effective,” NATO spokeswoman Oana Runjescu said. he emphasized.
However, there are also observations that Russia is highly likely to engage in ‘counterfighting drills’ in protest once morest NATO’s drills.
In fact, at the end of October every year, Russia is conducting a large-scale nuclear warfare exercise called ‘Grom’ that mobilized a large number of strategic assets.
Last year, the training was canceled due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), and this year, the training was held exceptionally in February of this year, just before the invasion of Ukraine.
It has not yet been announced whether or not they will train once more later this month.
“We will closely monitor Russia’s annual nuclear exercise, as we have done for decades,” Stoltenberg said in an interview the day before.
/yunhap news
