The exercises known as Steadfast Defender 2024 will involve the participation of approximately 90,000 soldiers from the United States of America and other NATO allies. Steadfast Defender 24, which will take place over several years, will highlight the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) ability to rapidly deploy forces from elsewhere in the Alliance, including North America, to strengthen Europe’s defence.
Steadfast Defender 24 will occur in several different locations, and the associated exercises will continue until May 31, 2024. It will be the first large-scale exercise that NATO executes to implement new defence plans. Under any circumstances, it will demonstrate that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation can carry out and maintain complex multi-domain operations over several months, spanning thousands of kilometres from the High North to Central and Eastern Europe.
With over 80 fighter jets, helicopters, drones, and at least 1,100 combat vehicles, including 133 tanks and 533 infantry fighting vehicles, more than 50 ships, ranging from aircraft carriers to destroyers, will participate in the operation.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) will practise putting its regional plans into action as part of the exercises. These plans are the Alliance’s first defence plans in decades and will detail how it would react to an attack by Russia.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation did not mention Russia by name in its announcement. On the other hand, the organisation’s most important strategic document identifies Russia as the most significant and direct threat to the security of NATO member states.
Turkiye is one of the participating member states within the exercise framework.
Steadfast Defender will take place every three years. The first drill took place in 2021 with the participation of more than 9,000 troops from more than 20 NATO Ally countries.
