Biggest NATO Exercise on Schedule for 2026 Begins

Officially presented as “training in the efficient organization of forces” from several member states, NATO begins its “Steadfast Dart 2026” exercise of ground forces, as a set of drills lasting until the end of February. This involves 10,000 soldiers and up to 3,000 vehicles, of which 2,000 vehicles (1,000 of these being British) have already arrived via sea at the port of Emden. They are to be transported to the large military training site at Bergen (Celle district) in Germany’s northern state of Lower Saxony on Jan. 15, where various scenarios will be rehearsed in the Lüneburg Heath until the end of February. The entire set of exercises is also going to rehearse the functioning of the public transport infrastructure of rail and road in the context of “Military Schengen,” meaning giving priority to military transports over civilian ones.