What is Steadfast Defender 2024?

About Steadfast Defender 2024:

• It is NATO’s most extensive military exercise since the Cold War era.
• It involves 90,000 forces from 31 member countries and NATO partner Sweden and is conducted across various NATO nations.
• The exercise will feature an impressive array of military hardware, including over 50 naval vessels ranging from aircraft carriers to destroyers, and a formidable air contingent of more than 80 units comprising fighter jets, helicopters, and drones.
• The ground forces are equally robust, with at least 1,100 combat vehicles, including 133 tanks and 533 infantry fighting vehicles, demonstrating NATO’s ground capabilities.
• The purpose of Steadfast Defender 2024 is to put NATO's new regional defense plans to the test. 
  • These plans, the first of their kind in decades, outline the alliance's response mechanisms to potential threats, notably addressing concerns regarding Russian aggression.

What is NATO?

• Formed in 1949 with the signing of the Washington Treaty, NATO is a security alliance of 31 countries from North America and Europe.
• NATO’s fundamental goal is to safeguard the Allies’ freedom and security by political and military means.
• It is a system of collective defence where independent member states agree for mutual defence in case of any attack by an external party.
  • Article 5 of the Washington Treaty states that an attack against one ally is an attack against all.
  • This article forms the core of the Alliance, a promise of collective defense.
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
• Functions:
  • Political: NATO promotes democratic values and enables members to consult and cooperate on defence and security-related issues to solve problems, build trust, and, in the long run, prevent conflict.
  • Military: NATO is committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes. If diplomatic efforts fail, it has the military power to undertake crisis-management operations. These are carried out under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty or under a United Nations mandate, alone or in cooperation with other countries and international organisations.