Sweden and Finland to participate in NATO nuclear deterrence exercise

Sweden and Finland will participate in NATO’s annual nuclear deterrence exercise Steadfast Noon in October. Sweden is deploying JAS 39 Gripen fighter aircraft and personnel, while Finland will participate with staff officers.

According to a ⁠press release from the Swedish government, Sweden will train its ability to provide conventional support to NATO’s nuclear deterrence. The exercise involves allied Dual-Capable Aircraft, which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, but no live weapons are used.

– In Steadfast Noon, Sweden is exercising alongside other Allies the capability to contribute with conventional support to NATO’s nuclear mission. It is a routine exercise that demonstrates NATO’s capability and readiness to protect all allies, says Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson in the press release.

Finland will participate with staff officers, according to the ⁠Finnish Ministry of Defence. The ministry states that Finland assesses on a case-by-case basis how it participates in Steadfast Noon and that the deployment of staff officers best corresponds to the country’s national objectives for this year’s exercise. In 2025, Finland participated with both F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft and staff officers, as ⁠previously reported by NDS.

– From the perspective of Finland’s security and defence, it is important that NATO’s deterrence, including all its components, is credible and creates as high a threshold as possible for military action against the Alliance, says Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen in the press release.

⁠NATO announced that this year’s Steadfast Noon will take place in Italy and involve 17 allied countries. The Alliance describes it as a long-planned and routine exercise intended to maintain readiness and test procedures related to NATO’s nuclear deterrence.

The Finnish Ministry of Defence states that the exercise runs from 12 to 24 October, while NATO says the exercise begins on 13 October. No live nuclear weapons are used or handled during Steadfast Noon. NATO also states that the exercise is not linked to current world events and is not directed against any country.