Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – With the Steadfast Noon nuclear exercise, scheduled for October 13 and hosted this year by Italy, "the intent seems clear: to send a warning to Putin about NATO's responsiveness, its ability to respond promptly and decisively to otherwise unmanageable situations. It's hard to say whether this is the right approach or just another can of gasoline on the fire."
Everything suggests that this is the correct assessment and there was certainly no need for it,” General Leonardo Tricarico, former Chief of Staff of the Air Force and current president of the Icsa Foundation, told Adnkronos.
Here we go again: Brussels is choosing one line of communication, while member states apparently choose another. Until now, NATO, and consequently the nations, had favored the path of caution, rather than the peremptory call to silence on tactical nuclear power at any cost and with anyone.
Now they're flaunting it. A line—Tricarico notes—clearly not agreed upon with the allies, which would confirm, if any were needed, that concerted action remains a notorious unknown, in clear disregard of the Treaty's provisions, which in Article 4 encourages member states to collectively consult when the security of one or more countries is at stake.
The exercise, scheduled for the next few days at several air bases in northern Italy, will take place "according to the Atlantic Alliance's ordinary and routine planning" and "is not linked to specific crises or current international developments," the Air Force General Staff clarified.
This is "an annual, scheduled training activity aimed at maintaining the readiness of the capabilities and procedures that contribute to the deterrence and defense of the Alliance." The exercise "is part of NATO's integrated strategic defense framework, in which Italy has participated as an Alliance member since 1949."
Italy has hosted the exercise six times already: in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2021, and 2023. The exercise, which has been "long-planned," does not involve "the use of any real weapons: the activities are exclusively aimed at verifying procedures, coordination, and safety standards between allied forces."
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