29 April 2026 11:09 UTC · NATO · NATO News · Source · Email X Link

NATO begins annual Steadfast Noon nuclear exercise

Key points

Routine annual nuclear deterrence exercise; no live weapons
About 70 aircraft from 14 Allies; ~2,000 personnel support

TL;DR

On Monday (13 October 2025), NATO began its annual nuclear deterrence exercise Steadfast Noon.
NATO says the exercise is a long planned, routine training activity, not linked to any current world events, and no live weapons are used.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the exercise helps ensure the nuclear deterrent remains "credible, safe, secure, and effective."
The Netherlands is the host nation; Volkel Air Base is the primary focus, with supporting elements at Kleine‑Brogel (Belgium), RAF Lakenheath (UK), and a large conventional contingent at Skrydstrup (Denmark).
The exercise involves around 70 aircraft from 14 Allied nations and roughly 2,000 personnel directly supporting it, NATO said.

Original text

Create an account Reset password Already have an account? Log in From now on you can download videos from our website If you would also like to subscribe to the newsletter and receive our latest updates, click on the button below. Enter the email address you registered with and we will send you a code to reset your password. The password must be at least 12 characters long, no spaces, include upper/lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Click the button to return to the page you were on and log in with your new password. 13 October 2025 2 MIN READ On Monday (13 October 2025), NATO began its annual nuclear deterrence exercise Steadfast Noon. The exercise is a long planned, routine training activity and part of NATO’s broader efforts to maintain readiness and ensure transparency around its nuclear posture. It is not linked to any current world events, and no live weapons are used. Announcing the exercise on Friday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said: “We need to do this because it helps us make sure that our nuclear deterrent remains as credible, safe, secure, and effective as possible.” The Netherlands is the host nation for this year’s Steadfast Noon. Volkel Air Base will be the primary base of focus for the exercise, with other supporting elements at Kleine-Brogel Air Base in Belgium and Royal Air Force Lakenheath in the UK. The exercise involves around 70 aircraft from 14 Allied nations, including a mix of conventional and dual‑capable aircraft. Supporting assets include surveillance, air-to-air refuelling, and command‑and‑control aircraft. A large contingent of the conventional support will be operating out of Skrydstrup Air Base in Denmark. U.S. Air Force Colonel Daniel Bunch, Chief of Nuclear Operations at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) said that organising and executing an exercise like Steadfast Noon takes an Allied effort: “All in all we are looking at roughly 2,000 personnel directly supporting this exercise,” he said. Jim Stokes, NATO’s Director of Nuclear Policy, said that the exercise is about “promoting transparency when and where appropriate, so that our Allied populations and the wider world have a good understanding of what we are doing.” Participation in Steadfast Noon rotates among Allies each year. Link was copied to clipboard

Key tags

Topics

Keywords

Stats

Word count: 385

Summary words: 126

Compression: 33%

Boilerplate removed: Yes

Top phrases:

Entities

People

Organizations

NATO
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (shape)
U.s. Air Force
Royal Air Force
+ 1 more