Nato And Its Companions: A Tale Of 2 Exercises

NATO

As NATO celebrates the 75th anniversary of its founding, Callum Fraser considers the importance of exercises for offering deterrence in Europe and the Asia-Pacific zones.

NATO is getting ready to celebrate its 75th anniversary in the background of the Ukraine conflict. It recently completed its biggest post-Cold War training exercise, Steadfast Defender. 

On the opposite side of the globe, where the strategic clouds are forming, Australia and the United States are planning the biggest and most significant version yet of their major annual joint training event, Talisman Sabre. It is likely also to include the largest contribution from other partners and Europe to date.

These two key exercises serve as a reminder that exercises are crucial for defensive, deterrence, and tactical messages—they show the will and capabilities. They also signal the increasing interconnected security concerns and the connections between the Euro-Atlantic and Asia-Pacific theaters.

Happy Anniversary!

NATO was founded on April 4, 1949, with 12 founding members. The current membership of 32 is set to meet for a 2-day reunion summit at Washington starting on 9 July. It is clear that the Ukraine war has brought the Alliance an entirely new motivation because French President Emmanuel Macron declared that NATO was “brain-dead.” 

In the years since, the Alliance has sought to revive its strategic plan, culminating in the brand new NATO Force Model with vastly increased ambitions in force creation and preparedness.

But, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is also a source of problems for NATO. It has revealed broad capability and capacity issues throughout the Alliance and a variety of stances in Europe as well as across the Atlantic on the lengths to assist Ukraine to stop Russia’s unlawful aggression.

As we approach this year’s US presidential election, which has an increasing possibility that Donald Trump could return to the White House, the issue of burden-sharing between the two countries has been brought back. 

Trump’s predecessor suggested that the US could not join in the defense of “delinquent” European NATO nations that failed to reach the 2% of their GDP threshold NATO has set for defense spending. Whatever the outcomes of the US elections, there is a minor issue. 

While most European NATO members view Russia as their most significant threat, the attention is now on China in Washington.

It’s Beneficial To Work Out

In improving its game in the field, NATO has been taking significant strides in the scope and complex nature of its exercises, including Steadfast Defender being the most important, from January through May of this year, up to 90,000. 

People of all the 32 NATO nations took part in exercises that covered the Atlantic and the Arctic to show the alliance’s capability first to consolidate and later protect the European members’ territorial boundaries. 

This was the biggest NATO exercise since 1984.

It also served as an opportunity to remind people of the crucial importance of exercises in managing crises and in delivering on three pillars of deterrence that are essential to theory: demonstrating capability, evidence of a strong resolve to utilize the technique, and clearly communicating this to an opponent who might be.

Every year, multinational drills are planned to benefit and manage the inevitable variations in tactics, techniques, and practices. Interoperability between allies can improve the collective capabilities.

Additionally, when it comes to credibility, regular participation in training exercises and the commitment of funds and expenses can directly indicate readiness to employ military force when needed. 

Any deterrent effect from the two first components is contingent upon sending a clear signal of intention.

Sabre-Rattling In The Pacific

The Asia-Pacific is not part of the formal structure of the alliance that NATO gives. However, the US, its partners, and allies have recently collaborated to show greater coherence in their operations and strategic plans against China’s growing military capability and assertiveness. 

This has involved more ambitious and complicated exercises to raise and showcase capabilities that will result in an effective deterrent and send a strategic signal.

The history of the US-Australia Talisman Sabre series exemplifies this. Recently, the series has focused on the need for top-quality warfighting in a difficult environment. The most recent exercise, Talisman Sabre 23, was the biggest to date and involved up to 30000 troops from 13 nations, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. 

The emphasis was on interoperability and the difficulties of a hypothetical enemy that surpassed the defense regarding capability. 

The next one, scheduled for 2025, is likely larger than the previous one and could see increased European involvement.

More And More Interlinked

This is a reminder that the Euro-Atlantic and Asia-Pacific are becoming increasingly interconnected. For national or to ensure long-term Alliance coherence, it is a realization that is dawning on most major European cities that they must be more attentive towards China as a threat to security and, perhaps, be worried regarding Asia-Pacific stability. 

One of the reasons is a greater awareness of the consequences for Beijing and Moscow’s growing “no limits” relationship, as well as their increasing relationships with Iran and North Korea.

In the past, discussions of a similar “Asian NATO” or even the idea of a NATO in Asia have been controversial. These are likely to be an unfinished matter. 

The second potential role of the military in a collective manner in the future of NATO on the continent of Asia is not likely. However, the involvement of individual NATO members in Indo-Pacific exercises will continue to increase, and these exercises will likely increase in importance and size. 

Not least, this series of exercises demonstrates that in both of these areas, several like-minded states and their military forces are confronted with similar operational and strategic issues and can learn from one another.

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