NATO wraps up largest military exercise in decades

BRUSSELS — The NATO military alliance on Friday concluded a four-month military exercise called Steadfast Defender 2024, the largest live exercise it has conducted for decades.

"More than 90,000 forces, more than 50 ships, more than 80 aircraft flying hundreds of sorties, and more than 1,100 combat vehicles from all 32 NATO Allies were involved in the exercise," a NATO press release said.

Steadfast Defender was a show of force as the alliance's European members moved to rearm in the face of Russia's war against Ukraine, reversing the atrophying of military spending that followed the end of the Cold War.

The exercise "demonstrated the incredible strength of the trans-Atlantic bond between NATO allies in Europe and those in North America," NATO's European commander, General Christopher G Cavoli, said in the press release.

"The highly complex military activities conducted over the course of this exercise have demonstrated that this alliance is capable and ready to conduct our core mission of collective defence," Cavoli said.