What's NATO up to?

What's NATO up to?

NATO is preparing for a joint command and staff exercise in 2024, its largest one since the end of the Cold War, involving over 40,000 troops.

 

 

The Steadfast Defender exercise is reportedly part of NATO's operational transition from crisis response to combat operations, in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

 

The maneuvers are expected to begin next spring and will involve 500 to 700 aircraft, over 50 ships and around 41,000 troops. They will take place in Germany, Poland and the Baltic States.

 

Jens Stoltenberg, Nato's secretary-general, said in June last year that the alliance would increase its number of high-readiness forces from 40,000 to "well over 300,000." NATO members agreed on new regional defense plans at the recent Vilnius summit.

 

Baltic countries have been particularly vocal in calling for NATO to bolster its eastern flank as troops have built up on the Belarusian border. Russia's president Vladimir Putin said nuclear weapons would be moved into Belarus in early July, although their presence is unconfirmed.

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