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Source-This post on NATO Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024 has been created based on the article “Why is NATO’s Steadfast Defender 2024 military exercise significant?″ published in “The Hindu” on 28th February 2024.
Why in the news?
Recently, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) started the Steadfast Defender 2024 exercise.
About Steadfast Defender 2024
1) About: Steadfast Defender 24 is NATO’s largest military exercise since the Cold War.
2) Duration: It is being held from January to May 2024.
3) Location: The first part of the exercise focuses on securing the Atlantic up to the Arctic and the second part focuses on moving troops across Europe, from the High North to Central and Eastern Europe
4) Purpose: Its main purpose is to highlight its collective military might and commitment to the security of its members.
5) Participants: It has approximately 90,000 troops from all 31 NATO Allies and Sweden as .
6) Features:
a) The exercise will showcase a wide range of military equipment, with more than 50 naval vessels, from aircraft carriers to destroyers, and an air force consisting of over 80 units, including fighter jets, helicopters, and drones
b) The ground forces will demonstrate NATO’s capabilities with at least 1,100 combat vehicles, including 133 tanks and 533 infantry fighting vehicles.
c) The drills are strategically designed to rehearse Nato’s execution of its regional plans. These plans are the first of their kind in decades.
d) It outlines the alliance’s response mechanisms to potential threats, addressing concerns regarding Russian aggression.
About NATO
1) About: North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a deterrent intergovernmental military alliance.
2) Origin: It was established in the aftermath of World War II through the North Atlantic Treaty on April 4, 1949.
3) Members: It comprises of 31 member states, among which 29 European countries and two North American countries.
4) Purpose: The primary purpose of NATO is to ensure the freedom and security of its members by cooperating in defence and conducting crisis-management operations.
5) Headquarters- Brussels, Belgium
UPSC Syllabus: Defence exercise, International Organization
