Overview

• NATO is preparing for its largest military exercise since the Cold War, with 90,000 troops expected to participate across Europe in an operation called Steadfast Defender 24.
• The exercise will involve the mobilization of warships, ground-based vehicles, aircraft, and other naval assets, and is expected to run from next week until May.
• The large-scale deployment comes nearly two years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and amid heightened alert in Europe that the war will expand.
• A top NATO official warned that civilians must be prepared for the possibility of war with Russia within the next two decades.
• German defence minister warns that Russia could attack NATO within five years.