Beginning tomorrow, Monday, October 30, the Air Force of every NATO member state (NATO) will begin training to improve nuclear deterrent capabilities with dozens of aircraft over northwest Europe.
According to a statement released by NATO today, Sunday, the exercises known as “Stedfast Nun” involve up to 60 aircraft from 14 nations, including fourth- and fifth-generation combat aircraft as well as surveillance and tank aircraft, and are a regular routine activity that is unrelated to any current international events.
The statement added that, as usual, during the previous years, the American-range bombers (B-52) will participate in the training, and will fly this year from the Minot Air Force Base in Northern Dakota.
Without using live ammunition, training flights will be organised over Belgium, the exercise’s host country, as well as over the North and UK Seas.
It is notable that each year, a different Allied nation hosts the exercises of (Stedvast Nun), which are meant to guarantee the alliance’s nuclear deterrence in a secure and effective manner, according to NATO spokesperson Ona Longsco.
The spokesperson said that the major objective of NATO’s nuclear capability is to maintain peace, avoid coercion, and deter aggression. This is in line with the new strategic vision of NATO, which was accepted by the Allied leaders at the Madrid summit last June.
She also emphasised that NATO will continue to be a nuclear alliance as long as nuclear weapons exist, with the aim of achieving a safer world for all and seeking to provide a secure atmosphere for a nuclear-weapons-free future.
NATO’s annual nuclear training, in which 14 nations are taking part, starts tomorrow.
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