NATO is preparing for the largest exercise since the Cold War. About 90,000 soldiers from all 31 Member States and Sweden participate in Steadfast Defender.
NATO Supreme Commander Christopher Cavoli announced this after a two-day military summit meeting in Brussels. The exercise starts next week and will last until May. According to the American general, the exercise will be a “clear demonstration of our unity, strength and determination to protect each other.”
That is necessary, says NATO’s highest military officer. Rob Bauer thinks it’s a good idea for people to prepare for war. “You must have water in the house, a battery-powered radio and a battery-operated flashlight. So you can survive the first 36 hours.”
He does not want to cause unrest: “I am not saying that things will go wrong tomorrow, but it is good to realize that it is not an established fact that we live in peace.”
Signal of deterrence
The large-scale exercise is primarily a signal of deterrence towards Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Formally, a ‘conflict scenario against an almost equal opponent’ is practiced during Steadfast Defender. But behind the scenes it has been heard for some time that a scenario is being practiced in which the Russians target a NATO member state. The area around the Suwałki corridor between Poland and Lithuania may be one of the training areas. In the event of an attack, a NATO member state can activate Article 5. In that case, the aggression is considered an attack against all NATO allies.
One of the components of the exercise is a major troop movement.