News item | 23-01-2024 | 16:56
NATO is holding the largest military exercise since the end of the Cold War. About 90,000 soldiers participate. The Netherlands is also participating.
Dutch participation
The Netherlands participates with more than 5,000 soldiers and 2 ships. The alerting, preparation and deployment of the units to a conflict area are practiced.
The 3 Dutch combat brigades of the army will participate in the exercise in the German-Dutch division context from the beginning of April. An important part of the exercise is the rapid movement of large army units over a long distance. This move is from the Netherlands, via Germany and Poland to Lithuania. In addition, a unit will practice air mobile operations in Hungary and Romania in May.
The Navy, including Zr.Ms. Johan de Witt, Zr.Ms. Karel Doorman and more than 300 marines participate in Steadfast Defender 2024. 2 NH90s from the air force are participating. February 19 is the departure from Den Helder for exercises off the coast of Norway.
Steadfast Defender
Steadfast Defender 2024 is a NATO exercise that will take place from February to May 2024 in Europe. The purpose is to practice a response to an attack on a NATO member state, which triggers Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. This concerns a series of (multi)national exercises in which the 31 NATO member states and Sweden participate.
75 Years of NATO
The Netherlands is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This is an alliance of countries from Europe and North America. On April 4, NATO will celebrate its 75th anniversary. NATO has been committed to freedom and security for 75 years and protects the values of democracy, individual freedom and the rule of law.