NATO is conducting major military exercises in Germany with 11 member states, moving thousands of troops and equipment, but excluding both the United States and Poland.
Purpose of the Maneuvers
The NATO maneuvers aim to demonstrate readiness for action. During “Steadfast Dart 26,” the alliance practices the fastest and coordinated movement of soldiers, equipment, and vehicles within NATO territory. This is intended to exercise and show defensive capabilities against attacks on alliance territory.
According to General Nicola Mandolesi, “Thanks to these maneuvers, NATO demonstrates its ability to move quickly from south to north and from west to east, and shows that it is united, efficient, and generally ready to act.” Moving such forces in such a short time across different countries’ borders is a significant challenge, but NATO clearly shows it is ready to accomplish “any mission,” added the Italian commander.
Without Poland
The exercises will involve eleven NATO member states: Italy, Greece, Germany, Czech Republic, Spain, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Turkey, France, Belgium, and Great Britain. They include armed forces, air forces, and navies, as well as units dealing with space and cyberspace.
As part of the large maneuvers, a huge amount of equipment will be moved: over 1,500 military vehicles, including battle tanks and rocket launchers, as well as over 20 aircraft and fighters, and 17 naval units, including landing ships, frigates, and submarines.
Several Locations
According to NATO information, the large maneuvers will cover several locations in Central Europe, but the most important actions will take place in Germany. The main venue in February will be the military training area in Bergen in Lower Saxony, located on the Lüneburg Heath – it is one of the largest military training areas in Europe.
According to NATO, these large maneuvers are also the first operation of the newly created NATO rapid reaction forces, subordinate to the operational command (JFC) in Brunssum. NATO operational headquarters are subordinate to the NATO headquarters in Mons and are responsible for planning and conducting military operations. JFC Brunssum is responsible for Germany and the eastern flank.
