Steadfast Defender 2024: NATO gears up for major military exercise to confront Russian aggression
The primary objective of these NATO operations, which are due to begin in the latter half of February and continue for 14 weeks, is to train the North Atlantic Alliance on how to respond to Russian aggression against a neighboring country. This comes after the Russian army, commanded by Vladimir Putin, attacked Ukraine, which forced NATO to reassess its defense response mechanisms.
Around 15,000 Polish soldiers and several thousand troops from allied countries - including Americans, Brits, French, Germans, Spaniards, Slovenians, Turks, and Albanians - will execute their plan named "Dragon-24" as part of these exercises.
The training will simulate potential situations that could arise during a crisis or conflict. Special forces, territorial defense forces, the air force, and naval soldiers will carry out operations on land, in the air, and at sea, using a variety of weaponry including Abrams and K2 tanks, Chunmoo and HIMARS launchers, and Krab and K9 howitzers.
Sky News reports that the UK plans to deploy up to 20,000 soldiers for these exercises. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps will reveal the deployment plans on Monday. "We must be prepared to deter our enemies, ready to support our allies, and equipped to protect our nation whenever the call comes," he emphasized.
100,000 soldiers to take part in "Steadfast Defender 2024"
The Royal Navy will contribute over 2,000 sailors who will be distributed across eight warships and submarines. The Royal Air Force will employ F-35B Lightning strike aircraft and Poseidon P-8 reconnaissance aircraft.
This exercise simulates an invasion of a NATO member state by any potential aggressor. The main threats are considered to originate from Russia and various armed terrorist organizations.
