NATO on Oct. 17 opened an annual exercise to test nuclear deterrence capabilities in Europe, with the participation of 14 of the 30 member countries. The drill, this year dubbed "Steadfast Noon [14]," will run two weeks and involve 60 aircraft. "As in previous years, US B-52 long-range bombers will take part; this year, they will fly from Minot Air Base in North Dakota," NATO said in a statement. "Training flights will take place over Belgium, which is hosting the exercise, as well as over the North Sea and the United Kingdom."
While Steadfast Noon comes amid rising tensions in Europe and Vladimir Putin's nuclear threats [17] against Ukraine and the West, NATO said the exercise was planned before the Russian invasion and "is not linked to any current world events."
Russia's own nuclear deterrence drills, known as GROM (Thunder), are expected to begin later this month—which means they will overlap with the NATO exercise. (IFL Science [18], Air & Space Forces [19])
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has meanwhile launched a large-scale military drill along the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The three-day exercise—codenamed "IRGC Ground Force Might"—is taking place in the northern sectors of Iran's East Azarbaijan and Ardabil provinces. It involves parachute operations, night raids, helicopter combat maneuvers, and drone attack simulations. It has also seen construction of a temporary pontoon bridge, allowing passage of tanks and armored vehicles, over portions of the Araz River that separates Iran from Armenia and Azerbaijan. But the threat seems aimed at the latter country. Last month, Tehran warned [15] that it would not tolerate any seizure of territory from Armenia by Azerbaijan after border clashes [20] broke out between its two northern neighbors. (Iran International [21], Iran International [22], JAM News [23])
