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Defence & Security
Mahesh

29/02/24 08:10 AM IST

NATO’s Steadfast Defender 2024

In News
  • The North Atlantic Treaty Council (NATO) started its largest military exercise in Europe — the Steadfast Defender 2024 — at the end of January.
About military exercise
  • According to NATO, the military exercise incorporates land, air, sea, cyber, and space operations to enhance civil-military cooperation.
  • Over 90,000 troops from 31 NATO allies as well as special invitee Sweden are expected to participate in the exercise over the next few months.
  • During the first phase (Transatlantic reinforcement) of the exercise, North American forces are scheduled to move to Europe across the Atlantic Ocean.
  • The phase includes live maritime exercises and amphibious assault training in the North Atlantic and Arctic Seas.
  • The second phase will focus on multi-domain exercises across Europe and will test the rapid deployment of troops within the NATO borders.
Significance
  • NATO’s Steadfast Defender 2024 is the largest exercise conducted by the alliance since the Cold War.
  • Its main purpose is to highlight its collective military might and commitment to the security of its members, seemingly in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
  • With a fleet of over 50 naval units alongside over 80 aircraft and more than 1,100 combat vehicles, the military exercise is a “clear demonstration of our unity, strength and determination to protect each other, our values and the rules-based international order.
  • The main purpose is to deter Russia from expanding operations in Ukraine, and to even serve as a warning to Kremlin.
  • European countries and the U.S. have, time and again, pledged their support to Ukraine against Russia in the form of statements of solidarity as well as financial commitments. 
  • The exercise is strategically located in European countries including Finland, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
  • While the countries are spread across the continent, special focus has been given to those around the Baltic Sea.
  • This is significant in relation to Russia, as Russian exclave Kaliningrad is situated between EU and NATO members Lithuania and Poland, and is also the headquarters of Russia’s Baltic Sea fleet, and the country’s only ice-free European port.
  • According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, around 57% (by volume) of Russia’s total oil exports were shipped from the Russian Baltic Sea port in September 2023.
  • EU countries like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, which are geographically closer to Russia, also act as bases for NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) – multinational battalion-size troops led by the U.K., Canada, Germany, and the U.S.
Source- The Hindu

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