NATO’s Steadfast Noon exercise to begin in Italy on October 13

The alliance’s annual nuclear deterrence exercise will involve 17 countries. NATO says the drills are not tied to current events and are not directed against any country.

NATO’s annual Steadfast Noon exercise will begin in Italy on October 13 and involve 17 countries, the alliance said. NATO said the scale would be in line with previous years. Its announcement described the drills as planned and unrelated to current events.

NATO also stressed that the exercise is not directed against any country. The statement came amid recent disputes concerning Kaliningrad, mentioned in the source report. The Associated Press reported that the exercise announcement followed a warning from Moscow that Russia was prepared to defend the region if it faced a threat. NATO did not link Steadfast Noon’s program to that dispute.