NATO’s largest exercise for decades is shaping future transatlantic security
ESPS Almirante Juan de Borbon in dock last week in Southampton. (Photo: Giovanni Rasio)
Steadfast Defender 24 (STDE24), the main NATO multi-domain exercise for 2024, has seen large-scale national and multinational live exercises taking place across the whole NATO area. Among the challenges it has attempted to tackle have been the increased lethality of uncrewed systems and how to enhance amphibious landings in cold environments.
Regarded as the largest NATO exercise in decades, STDE24 will involve 90,000 personnel, more than 50 warships – including aircraft carriers – upwards of 80 aircraft and more than 1,100 combat vehicles from 31 NATO allies and Sweden.
A key focus area of the exercise, which will run through to May, will be the so-called “Transatlantic Reinforcement”. The exercise will consist of rapidly deploying forces and resources from North America to Europe to counter a potential conflict in the Old Continent.
The first part of STDE24, which has already started, has included maritime-focused live exercises in the Atlantic, Spain, the
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