Fourteen NATO countries, including Germany, are completing this year’s “Steadfast Noon” nuclear exercise today (October 24).

The Steadfast Noon exercise, held annually in October, simulates a potential attack using US nuclear weapons stored in Europe. Jets from the German Air Force can also be used as carrier or launch aircraft.

In a sign of the growing willingness to participate in nuclear deterrence in Europe, new NATO members Finland and Sweden joined the exercise for the first time this year, while Denmark also provided a base for the first time.

The German government is also currently having the Büchel air base in the Eifel region rebuilt at a cost of billions of euros, so that in the future it can station US F-35 fighter jets along with new B61-12 nuclear bombs at this base.

At the same time, discussions continue about a European nuclear shield independent of the US. In addition to a nuclear shield provided by France, a German nuclear shield based on German nuclear weapons is also being debated.

A majority of young people in the 18-24 age group in Germany support the Bundeswehr acquiring nuclear weapons.

Rehearsal of the American B61-12 nuclear bomb

Approximately 2,000 soldiers from 14 NATO countries participated in the exercise with over 70 military aircraft. This number is higher than in previous years.

New NATO members Finland and Sweden also participated for the first time, sending F/A-18 Hornet and Gripen model fighter jets. The German military participated with Tornado and Eurofighter model aircraft.

According to reports, the use of the new B61-12 type US atomic bombs, which are guided by satellite navigation and therefore considered much more precise than their predecessors, was rehearsed.

These bombs are also scalable and can be used with different explosive yields, meaning they can be considered, among other things, as tactical, limited-effect battlefield weapons.

According to the American Federation of Scientists (FAS), the first air base in Europe where the B61-12 was included in training operations was Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands, located between Nijmegen and Eindhoven, in 2021.

New American nuclear weapons deployed to the UK

Volkel was the main base for Steadfast Noon this year. Additionally, the Kleine Brogel base in the far northeast of Belgium, just 60 kilometers from Volkel; the Skrydstrup base in Denmark, about 60 kilometers north of Flensburg; and the Lakenheath base in the UK, 40 kilometers northeast of Cambridge, were also included.

With Skrydstrup, a Danish air base was used for Steadfast Noon for the first time. This is also significant because Denmark is currently taking a more aggressive stance against Russia.

In 2023 and 2024, Denmark allowed US armed forces to deploy Typhon launchers capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles on the island of Bornholm as part of maneuvers and also announced it would purchase long-range precision weapons.

It was reported that US nuclear bombs were brought to Lakenheath over the summer. The US had stored more than 100 nuclear weapons at the air base during the Cold War, only withdrawing them in 2008.

Opponents of armament are demanding clarification on what exactly is happening at the Lakenheath air base, but so far without success.

The F-35 as a nuclear weapon carrier

What was new in this year’s Steadfast Noon exercise was the dual-function use of US F-35 fighter jets.

On one hand, these jets served as the aircraft carrying and dropping the bombs; according to reports, this was the case for the Dutch F-35 squadron stationed at Volkel.

On the other hand, the jets escorted the bomb-laden aircraft, a task undertaken by the Danish F-35 squadron, which also participated in the Steadfast Noon exercise.

The F-35 will also be purchased by the German Federal Army; the Air Force will acquire 35 units to ensure the continuation of nuclear participation at the Büchel air base in Eifel without interruption after the very old Tornado jets are decommissioned.

Over the summer, it was announced that the necessary renovations at the Büchel air base, where US nuclear bombs are stored, would not cost the initially planned 700 million euros, but two billion euros according to the current situation.

Furthermore, it was reported that Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was insisting on the purchase of an additional 15 F-35 fighter jets to meet NATO’s requirements for the Bundeswehr, but the German Ministry of Defense officially denied this news.

French shield versus German shield

While nuclear sharing is being trained and secured, the debate continues on creating a separate European nuclear shield or, alternatively, acquiring a “German bomb.”

As things stand, a European nuclear shield could be provided by France. Paris and Berlin announced after the last German-French Council of Ministers meeting in Brégançon on August 29 that a “strategic dialogue” on this issue would be initiated; this dialogue was to be conducted by the French Presidency and the German Chancellery, with the participation of the foreign and defense ministries of both sides.

So far, an agreement has not been reached because Germany insists on having some say over French nuclear forces, which France resolutely rejects.

In contrast to the option of placing Europe under a French nuclear umbrella, some German experts are demanding a debate on an independent European protective shield under German leadership.

In August, Joachim Krause, former director of the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University (ISPK), explained that the primary focus was on the question of whether Germany has the capability to produce an atomic bomb.

Experts generally conclude that there would be no technical difficulties. The necessary infrastructure is also in place with the uranium enrichment plant in Gronau, the centrifuge manufacturer ETC in Jülich, and the research reactor in Garching.

The main obstacle here is more political than technical: the Federal Republic would not only have to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons but also terminate the Two Plus Four Agreement.

German youth are open to the nuclear bomb

On the other hand, according to a survey conducted in June, only 21% of Germans argue that the Federal Republic of Germany should possess nuclear weapons, while 72% oppose it.

However, there are very large differences between different age groups. For example, only 7% of Germans in the 45-54 age group and 11% of Germans aged 65 and over support Germany having a nuclear bomb.

Conversely, 54% of Germans in the 18-24 age group support Germany acquiring nuclear weapons. This suggests that public opinion on nuclear armament could also change.