Sweden’s Steadfast Noon debut reshapes NATO nuclear drill and Baltic deterrence
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Sweden will participate for the first time in NATO’s Steadfast Noon nuclear exercise, deploying Jas 39 Gripen fighters and Armed Forces personnel alongside 13 Allies. The move ties Swedish airpower and geography to NATO’s nuclear mission, strengthening Baltic deterrence amid rising security tensions in Europe.
On, October 10, 2025, Sweden confirmed it will join NATO’s Steadfast Noon with Jas 39 Gripen fighters and Swedish Armed Forces personnel, its first participation in a NATO nuclear exercise since becoming an Ally in March 2024. The two-week drill begins October 13, is led by the Netherlands from Volkel Air Base, gathers 71 aircraft from 14 Allies and uses no live nuclear weapons, with training areas primarily over the North Sea and activity across bases in Belgium, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and the Netherlands. The announcement stresses conventional support by Swedish units to the Alliance’s nuclear mission at a time when base protection and counter-drone measures are prominent after recent incidents at European military sites. This development is relevant because it integrates Sweden’s northern geography, airpower, and austere-basing know-how directly into NATO’s most sensitive deterrence rehearsal, as reported by Army Recognition and confirmed by the Government Offices of Sweden.
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Sweden’s first-ever presence in Steadfast Noon therefore signals more than symbolism: it binds a newly added Ally’s geography, doctrine and aircraft to the Alliance’s most sensitive rehearsal, adds redundancy and survivability exactly where adversaries have sought to probe with drones and electronic attack, and demonstrates that credible nuclear deterrence now relies as much on agile conventional enablers as on the warheads themselves (Picture source: SAAB)
Sweden’s participation matters far beyond mere numbers. It closes a critical seam on NATO’s northern flank, extending the protective envelope for dual-capable aircraft and support assets moving across the North Sea–Baltic corridor. From Swedish territory, especially the road-base network and sites proximate to Gotland, NATO gains additional launch, diversion and recovery options that complicate adversary targeting cycles and reduce the vulnerability of fixed air bases, an issue amplified by drone activity that has prompted heightened security around the exercise. By practicing conventional enablers, air policing, escort, suppression of enemy air defenses, defensive counter-air, and airborne early warning integration, Swedish aircrews contribute directly to the credibility and survivability of the nuclear mission without taking on nuclear delivery. In Stockholm’s framing, that contribution is about keeping the deterrent “credible, robust and effective” in an “increasingly insecure world,” a notable shift for a country that only joined NATO on March 7, 2024 and has pledged no peacetime hosting of nuclear weapons or permanent foreign bases.
The exercise itself underscores the message. Steadfast Noon is a long-planned annual drill that rehearses procedures for NATO’s nuclear deterrence, employs bomber and fighter formations (including dual-capable aircraft) and uses only training shapes, not live nuclear munitions. This year’s iteration features 71 aircraft from 14 Allies and emphasizes protecting weapons and infrastructure, notably against drone threats; officials have stressed it is routine and not aimed at any specific state. Sweden’s entry therefore widens Allied participation in the nuclear ecosystem at a moment when northern-European basing depth, redundancy and air defense integration are at a premium.
The Swedish decision also aligns with Stockholm’s parallel investments in counter-UAS defenses and with NATO’s ongoing modernization of the aircraft that underpin the nuclear mission. Most NATO nations that host U.S. nuclear weapons are transitioning to the F-35A as their dual-capable platform, while others field escorts, SEAD, and enabler packages. Sweden slots into that second category, bringing a force optimized for dispersed operations, rapid turnaround and electronic warfare, precisely the attributes that enhance the resilience of nuclear-related sorties.
The defense product Gripen merits attention in its own right. The JAS 39 Gripen C/D used by Sweden was designed around the Bas 90 dispersed-basing concept, operating from 800×16 m stretches of highway, refueling and rearming with minimal crews in minutes, and recovering at alternate road strips, capabilities particularly relevant to a drone-saturated battlespace that punishes fixed infrastructure. Its PS-05/A radar and electronic warfare suite are built for contested airspace and integrate seamlessly with the Meteor beyond-visual-range missile, giving the aircraft strong beyond-visual-range performance and networked engagement options.
Compared with peer fourth-generation platforms such as legacy F-16s and Eurofighter Typhoons, Gripen’s advantages are its austere-basing resilience, low logistics footprint and rapid sortie generation; compared with fifth-generation F-35s that provide stealth and deep sensor fusion, and serve as the Alliance’s preferred dual-capable aircraft, Gripen’s niche is to keep airspace contested, bases protected, and DCA corridors open through high availability and flexible operations. Strategically, that combination raises the cost of any attempt to disrupt NATO nuclear-related air operations, strengthens Baltic-Nordic air defense integration, and extends the Alliance’s capacity to fight through electronic attack and unmanned threats.
Sweden’s first-ever presence in Steadfast Noon therefore signals more than symbolism: it binds a newly added Ally’s geography, doctrine and aircraft to the Alliance’s most sensitive rehearsal, adds redundancy and survivability exactly where adversaries have sought to probe with drones and electronic attack, and demonstrates that credible nuclear deterrence now relies as much on agile conventional enablers as on the warheads themselves. As Stockholm puts Gripen and its personnel into the rotation, NATO’s northern shield becomes harder to blind, harder to fix and harder to strike, an unmistakable message of readiness and resolve.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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Sweden will participate for the first time in NATO’s Steadfast Noon nuclear exercise, deploying Jas 39 Gripen fighters and Armed Forces personnel alongside 13 Allies. The move ties Swedish airpower and geography to NATO’s nuclear mission, strengthening Baltic deterrence amid rising security tensions in Europe.
On, October 10, 2025, Sweden confirmed it will join NATO’s Steadfast Noon with Jas 39 Gripen fighters and Swedish Armed Forces personnel, its first participation in a NATO nuclear exercise since becoming an Ally in March 2024. The two-week drill begins October 13, is led by the Netherlands from Volkel Air Base, gathers 71 aircraft from 14 Allies and uses no live nuclear weapons, with training areas primarily over the North Sea and activity across bases in Belgium, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and the Netherlands. The announcement stresses conventional support by Swedish units to the Alliance’s nuclear mission at a time when base protection and counter-drone measures are prominent after recent incidents at European military sites. This development is relevant because it integrates Sweden’s northern geography, airpower, and austere-basing know-how directly into NATO’s most sensitive deterrence rehearsal, as reported by Army Recognition and confirmed by the Government Offices of Sweden.
Sweden’s first-ever presence in Steadfast Noon therefore signals more than symbolism: it binds a newly added Ally’s geography, doctrine and aircraft to the Alliance’s most sensitive rehearsal, adds redundancy and survivability exactly where adversaries have sought to probe with drones and electronic attack, and demonstrates that credible nuclear deterrence now relies as much on agile conventional enablers as on the warheads themselves (Picture source: SAAB)
Sweden’s participation matters far beyond mere numbers. It closes a critical seam on NATO’s northern flank, extending the protective envelope for dual-capable aircraft and support assets moving across the North Sea–Baltic corridor. From Swedish territory, especially the road-base network and sites proximate to Gotland, NATO gains additional launch, diversion and recovery options that complicate adversary targeting cycles and reduce the vulnerability of fixed air bases, an issue amplified by drone activity that has prompted heightened security around the exercise. By practicing conventional enablers, air policing, escort, suppression of enemy air defenses, defensive counter-air, and airborne early warning integration, Swedish aircrews contribute directly to the credibility and survivability of the nuclear mission without taking on nuclear delivery. In Stockholm’s framing, that contribution is about keeping the deterrent “credible, robust and effective” in an “increasingly insecure world,” a notable shift for a country that only joined NATO on March 7, 2024 and has pledged no peacetime hosting of nuclear weapons or permanent foreign bases.
The exercise itself underscores the message. Steadfast Noon is a long-planned annual drill that rehearses procedures for NATO’s nuclear deterrence, employs bomber and fighter formations (including dual-capable aircraft) and uses only training shapes, not live nuclear munitions. This year’s iteration features 71 aircraft from 14 Allies and emphasizes protecting weapons and infrastructure, notably against drone threats; officials have stressed it is routine and not aimed at any specific state. Sweden’s entry therefore widens Allied participation in the nuclear ecosystem at a moment when northern-European basing depth, redundancy and air defense integration are at a premium.
The Swedish decision also aligns with Stockholm’s parallel investments in counter-UAS defenses and with NATO’s ongoing modernization of the aircraft that underpin the nuclear mission. Most NATO nations that host U.S. nuclear weapons are transitioning to the F-35A as their dual-capable platform, while others field escorts, SEAD, and enabler packages. Sweden slots into that second category, bringing a force optimized for dispersed operations, rapid turnaround and electronic warfare, precisely the attributes that enhance the resilience of nuclear-related sorties.
The defense product Gripen merits attention in its own right. The JAS 39 Gripen C/D used by Sweden was designed around the Bas 90 dispersed-basing concept, operating from 800×16 m stretches of highway, refueling and rearming with minimal crews in minutes, and recovering at alternate road strips, capabilities particularly relevant to a drone-saturated battlespace that punishes fixed infrastructure. Its PS-05/A radar and electronic warfare suite are built for contested airspace and integrate seamlessly with the Meteor beyond-visual-range missile, giving the aircraft strong beyond-visual-range performance and networked engagement options.
Compared with peer fourth-generation platforms such as legacy F-16s and Eurofighter Typhoons, Gripen’s advantages are its austere-basing resilience, low logistics footprint and rapid sortie generation; compared with fifth-generation F-35s that provide stealth and deep sensor fusion, and serve as the Alliance’s preferred dual-capable aircraft, Gripen’s niche is to keep airspace contested, bases protected, and DCA corridors open through high availability and flexible operations. Strategically, that combination raises the cost of any attempt to disrupt NATO nuclear-related air operations, strengthens Baltic-Nordic air defense integration, and extends the Alliance’s capacity to fight through electronic attack and unmanned threats.
Sweden’s first-ever presence in Steadfast Noon therefore signals more than symbolism: it binds a newly added Ally’s geography, doctrine and aircraft to the Alliance’s most sensitive rehearsal, adds redundancy and survivability exactly where adversaries have sought to probe with drones and electronic attack, and demonstrates that credible nuclear deterrence now relies as much on agile conventional enablers as on the warheads themselves. As Stockholm puts Gripen and its personnel into the rotation, NATO’s northern shield becomes harder to blind, harder to fix and harder to strike, an unmistakable message of readiness and resolve.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
