As of: February 15, 2024, 10:04 a.m
By: Peter Sieben
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The major NATO exercise “Steadfast Defender 2024” is intended to be a deterrent.
But what the troops need above all is practical training, says a defense expert.
Berlin/Oslo – The name says it all: Steadfast Defender is the name of the major NATO maneuver, i.e. “Steadfast Defender”.
It is the largest NATO exercise since the end of the Cold War; around 90,000 soldiers will be involved until the end of May.
The first major live exercise starts on Sunday in Mons, Belgium.
One goal of the huge military operation: deterrence.
The signal goes primarily towards Russia and Vladimir Putin.
But the maneuver is much more than a symbol, says defense expert Robin Allers.
Major NATO exercise “Steadfast Defender 2024”: preparation for a crisis
Allers is an associate professor at the Defense University in Norway's capital Oslo, where young soldiers begin their officer careers.
“The major NATO exercise is not a provocation, but a message to Russia: We are clearly showing what we have.
Because there is a concrete threat and the realization that there can actually be war in Europe,” he says.
“But it’s not just a signal to Russia.
NATO wants to be concretely prepared in the event of a crisis.”
Robin Allers is Associate Professor at the Institute for Defense Studies (IFS) at the FHS in Oslo.
© Peter Sieben
Since Russia's war of aggression, NATO has completely repositioned itself
In the first decades after the end of the Cold War, NATO allies hardly ever conducted such large-scale exercises.
“Since the Russian attack on Ukraine, NATO has completely repositioned itself.
At the Vilnius summit last year, new defense plans were adopted and are now being practiced,” said the defense expert.
“The security situation has deteriorated significantly.
That's why the NATO maneuver is so big this time too.
It has become even more important.”
In fact, the signs have changed dramatically in the last year: Finland is now a NATO member and Sweden is about to join, and the defense situation is completely different than it was just a few years ago.
At the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania in mid-July, the alliance states decided, among other things, to strengthen the eastern flank and increase defense spending.
“Now you have to look: Does it even work?
How flexible are we?
Where are you allowed to cross borders with troops?” says Robin Allers.
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Transport towards the Baltic Sea and the Baltic States is to be practiced with “Steadfast Defender”.
The scenario of the major maneuver is a Russian attack on Allied territory.
This would lead to the so-called alliance case under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which states that an armed attack against one or more allies is considered an attack against all NATO partners.
On the one hand, the exercise is about relocating troops from abroad to the east and north.
“Germany has an important role in the large-scale exercise, as a NATO hub.
“Military equipment, supplies and troops arrive in Germany and have to be transported further, i.e. towards the Baltics, to the southern flank and also to the northern flank,” said Allers.
Bundeswehr troops have to practice on difficult terrain during NATO maneuvers
But it's also about the question: Are the Allied forces even capable of handling operations in extreme terrain?
In the event of a crisis, rapid troop movements towards the Baltic Sea and the far north of Norway would be necessary.
Directly on the northeastern border of the NATO country Norway lies the Kola Peninsula, where a large part of Russia's nuclear arsenal is stored.
Conditions in the Arctic Circle are harsh, with double-digit temperatures below zero and often impassable terrain.
“Troops from the Bundeswehr, but also from Great Britain, the Netherlands and France, have to practice this.
They are otherwise not used to such topographical and climatic conditions,” says Allers.
“If there is a crisis and you then realize that we don’t have any mastery of logistics or that our troops are not prepared for snow and ice, it is too late.”