Steadfast Noon: How NATO Military Exercise Plans Test Nuclear Capabilities

NATO drills that start next week aim to test the alliance's nuclear deterrent capabilities amid threats over what Vladimir Putin might do next in his faltering invasion of Ukraine.

The alliance said that the "Steadfast Noon" exercise starting on Monday and running until October 30 "is a routine, recurring training activity and it is not linked to any current world events."

However, it comes as concerns grow that Putin might resort to nuclear weapons following losses in his invasion in which his forces have had to retreat.

The exercise will involve 14 alliance members and up to 60 aircraft, including fourth and fifth-generation fighter jets, as well as surveillance and tanker aircraft.

Also taking part will be U.S. B-52 long-range bombers from Minot Air Base in North Dakota. There will be training flights over Belgium, which is hosting the exercise, as well as over the North Sea and the United Kingdom. No live weapons will be used.

A NATO spokesperson told Newsweek in a statement there would be training flights over Western Europe and the North Sea and that the core exercise is well over 1,000 km (660 miles) from Russia's border.

The aim of the exercise was to remain "safe, secure and effective" and would entail "a range of realistic and simulated events which can be found in a conflict," the spokesperson said.

Following Ukraine's counteroffensive that led to the recapture of territories in the east and in the south of the country over the past few weeks, Russia announced the illegal annexation of four areas.

Putin has made veiled references to the potential use of nuclear weapons, stating that Moscow would protect its territory through "all means available."

The alliance's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, said Thursday that the chance NATO might have to use nuclear weapons is "extremely remote," and that Russia would face "severe consequences" if it did use them.

Katarzyna Zysk, international relations professor at the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies, said Steadfast Noon had been well planned in advance so "this is not a surprise to Russia." Thus, it would not reveal any "unusual operating patterns" from the alliance.

Zysk told Newsweek that the Norwegian-led Cold Response exercises in March and April, soon after the start of the war, had a "deterrent factor" and that would be behind the logic of proceeding with the exercise next week.

"It's about maintaining credibility of the alliance and the credibility of deterrence and defense," she said.