Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) took part in NATO’s largest computer-assisted exercise of the year, Steadfast Duel 2025, held from 22 to 29 October to enhance operational readiness and coordination in a collective defence scenario, NATO said.
Directed by the Joint Warfare Centre (JWC) in Stavanger, Norway, and overseen by Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), the exercise marked the first time all three Joint Force Commands, Brunssum, Naples, and Norfolk, trained together under one coordinated framework.
AIRCOM joined other theatre component commands in testing NATO’s ability to command and control large-scale operations across domains.
During the exercise, AIRCOM’s Air Operations Centres in Torrejón, Spain; Uedem, Germany; and Bodø, Norway simulated the generation of Air Tasking Orders to direct missions in a fast-moving, multi-domain environment. The drills aimed to ensure that Allied air forces can plan and conduct operations that integrate air, land, maritime, cyber, and space components.
The event also deepened coordination between AIRCOM, the NATO Space Operations Centre, and land commands, reinforcing the Alliance’s integrated deterrence posture.
Major General Ruprecht von Butler, Commander of the Joint Warfare Centre, said the exercise reflects NATO’s drive to meet the demands of an increasingly complex threat environment.
“Our increasingly complex security environment requires that we deliver more realistic and audacious exercises for the NATO Alliance,” he said. “With the scale and scope managed by Steadfast Duel 2025, we will do exactly that.”
