October 18, 2022
Have you ever heard of Steadfast Noon or Grom?
Probably not. And in any other year – it wouldn’t be such a big deal. But this year isn’t like any other year.
Steadfast Noon and Grom are annual nuclear exercises. One is happening now and the other the US thinks is coming soon and is keeping an eye on it.
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Steadfast Noon is NATO’s annual nuclear deterrence exercise – it started this week and will run through the end of the month. 14 NATO allies including the United States are conducting drills over Belgium, the North Sea and the United Kingdom. They’re using all the fancy fighter jets, bombers and surveillance aircraft to ensure that NATO’s nuclear deterrent remains “safe, secure and effective.” The fundamental purpose of NATO’s nuclear capability – they say — is to preserve peace, prevent coercion and deter aggression. And steadfast noon is a chance for them to practice the “deterring aggression” part. It’s important to note – NATO says — *no* live weapons are actually used during Steadfast Noon exercise.
What has a lot of people paying attention is – Grom – which is Russia’s annual nuclear exercise. The United States believes Grom is happening sometime this month. It’s different than Steadfast Noon in that – in the past – Russia has used live missile launches and has deployed some strategic assets in connection with the exercise.
What’s especially concerning this year is – what I’ve been reporting – Vladimir Putin’s not-so-veiled threats about the potential use of his nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
I don’t want you to freak out here. As I said Steadfast Noon and Grom happen every single year. It’s just this year –the us national security council is closely monitoring Grom this year – specifically looking to see if Putin uses the exercise as an opportunity to move strategic forces or nuclear weapons or anything else that’s not routine.
Read NATO’s information about steadfast noon here
Read NATO’s nuclear deterrence policy here
