Steadfast Dart 2025 begins

(To Army Majority State)
17/01/25

With the first logistical movements, the final preparations for the Steadfast Dart 2025 (STDT25). The exercise is aimed at training NRDC-ITA in the deployment of its command post in peacetime and executing a multi-domain task in the face of a crisis, to test operational procedures and interoperability between allied contributors and host nations.

The activity, which represents the first large-scale deployment of theAllied Reaction Force (ARF) from its establishment in 2024, aims to demonstrate NATO's ability to rapidly strengthen the defence of its eastern flank in a simulated scenario of emerging conflict with a peer adversary.

The exercise, in fact, tests the ability of the ARF to conduct and sustain complex operations over long distances and in diversified operational environments, with the participation of approximately 10.000 military personnel from 9 allied nations and the presence of land, air, naval and special forces. The support of the host nations, namely Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, will be essential to underline NATO's ability to respond and project on its eastern border, with the conduct of numerous training events including amphibious operations, live-fire air activities and combined maneuvers in all domains.

The ARF has taken over from the NATO Response Force (NRF) on 1 July 2024. This is a vital element for the defence and deterrence of the Euro-Atlantic area which certifies the readiness of the Alliance to respond rapidly and effectively to any security threat. In the new NATO Force Model (NFM), which aims to increase the Alliance's capabilities to defend itself against any potential adversary, the ARF was designed to fit into NATO's regional plans, agreed by the Allies at the 2023 Vilnius Summit.

The ARF provides SACEUR (Supreme Allied Commander Europe) with forces capable of providing a rapid response to crisis situations through a series of operational activities. It is a strategic, multi-domain, very high-readiness force. Capable of deploying in a very short space of time, it is made up of force packages of variable size to reinforce deterrence both in peacetime and in crisis situations. Its inherent flexibility allows SACEUR to allocate additional forces to the ARF Commander as needed and in any situation.