Both the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia are holding their annual nuclear drills this month amidst the war still raging in Ukraine. And both NATO & Russia are accusing each other of nuclear threats.
However, the periodic and regular nature of their drills has lent them a legitimacy that can be portrayed as independent of the tenuous geopolitical situation. Nevertheless, with allegations of nuclear brinkmanship flying thick and fast, it is difficult to detach them from the larger politico-military context.
Steadfast Noon & GROM
Steadfast Noon will have the United States Air Force’s (USAF) B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers fly in from Minot Air Base in North Dakota and Belgian F-16s – the latter of which is hosting the exercise at the Klein Brogel air base.
The exercises will begin on Monday and last till October 30. Russia’s Grom (meaning ‘thunder’) too will be launched concurrently with the NATO drills.
