NATO has been conducting its largest combat exercises of 2025, known as the Steadfast Dart 2025 exercises, leading up to the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These exercises involve around 10,000 military personnel from nine nations and are part of NATO’s new Allied Reaction Force. The drills are taking place over six weeks in Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece, testing the alliance’s ability to rapidly deploy large-scale forces on its eastern border. The exercises come at a time of uncertainty as the United States, NATO’s most powerful member, under President Donald Trump, has suggested shifting security priorities away from Europe.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called for NATO allies to increase military spending, while also casting doubts on Washington’s longstanding security guarantees to Europe. This has left NATO partners considering the possibility of a new reality where the US may no longer be the strong backstop for European security. Admiral Stuart B. Munsch, commander of the Allied Joint Force Command, has highlighted the complex and unpredictable security threats facing NATO in recent years. The establishment of NATO’s new Allied Reaction Force is a response to these evolving challenges, combining conventional forces with cyber and space-based technologies.
The concerns over a potential US rollback of military presence in Romania have raised alarms amongst defense analysts, who fear it would weaken NATO’s eastern flank against Russian aggression. NATO allies are being pushed to consider contributing troops and weapons to fill the gap left by a reduction in US forces. Meanwhile, European allies have expressed worries about being sidelined from talks between US and Russian diplomats regarding the conflict in Ukraine. This has prompted emergency talks among select EU countries in Paris, led by French President Emmanuel Macron.
During the combat exercises in Romania, participants engaged in live-fire training and trench warfare drills. The Allied Reaction Force, established in July, is designed to deploy rapidly within 10 days and includes a combination of conventional forces and advanced technologies. Britain leads the operation with a significant deployment of military personnel and vehicles. Other participating nations include Romania, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO has increased its presence on Europe’s eastern flank by sending additional multinational battlegroups to countries like Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovakia.
Romania has emerged as a key player within the alliance, supporting Ukraine by donating a Patriot missile system and hosting an international training hub for F-16 jet pilots from allied countries. The fast-paced developments in the region have led to heightened security concerns and the need for NATO to bolster its capabilities on the eastern flank. The exercises in Romania, Greece, and Bulgaria aim to demonstrate NATO’s readiness to respond to evolving security threats and protect alliance territory. As the political landscape shifts and security challenges grow, NATO and its members are working to adapt and strengthen their defense capabilities to ensure the security of the alliance and its member states.
