Defense, what it is and who participates in "Steadfast Noon", the NATO nuclear exercise in the Italian skies that ended up under the lens of AVS

Italy is hosting the NATO Steadfast Noon exercise this year, which will start on October 13 and take place over the course of a week. This is an annual and scheduled training activity aimed at maintaining the readiness of the capabilities and procedures that contribute to the deterrence and defense of the Alliance. It is specifically focused on the nuclear deterrence component of the Atlantic Alliance.

Some parliamentarians regarding the exercise, including Avs parliamentarian and Green Europe co-spokesperson Angelo Bonelli, announced a question, hypothesizing that it was dedicated to the use of US nuclear weapons deployed in Europe. The move, explained Bonelli, has the aim of clarifying «why Parliament was not informed of an exercise of this scale on the national territory, what role the drones will have and what systems will be used, what shooting activities are planned, where they will take place and with what ammunition, in particular in Salto di Quirra; whether the Sardinia Region, the other regions and the municipalities overlooked have been informed and involved". And to ask «which measures guarantee the safety of civil traffic and which environmental and acoustic impact assessments have been carried out, including on the marine ecosystem of the Tyrrhenian Sea».

In the exercise, it is clarified in a note from the Air Force, the use of any real armament is not envisaged: the activities are exclusively aimed at verifying procedures, coordination and safety standards between the allied forces.

These are trainings focused on the simulation of operational scenarios, flight procedures, command and control and logistical management of the fleet assigned to the deterrence mission.

The exercise falls within the framework of NATO's integrated strategic defense, in which Italy has participated as a member country of the Alliance since 1949. Italy has hosted the exercise six times already: in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2021 and 2023.