Join our call against NATO’s nuclear exercise "Steadfast Noon"

On 6 October 2026, PeaceLink announced that NATO's annual nuclear deterrence exercise, Steadfast Noon, will begin over Italy on 13 October. Our finding is based on a public notice from ENAV, the Italian air navigation service provider: supplement AIP S56/26, valid from 13 to 20 October. It reserves large areas of Italian airspace and parts of the Tyrrhenian Sea for intense military air activity, live firing and drones.

The notice lists four time windows: 13 October (11:00 to 16:00), 14 October (11:30 to 16:30), 16 October (10:00 to 15:00) and 20 October (10:00 to 15:00), Central European Summer Time. Transit corridors start from the air bases of Ghedi, Aviano, Amendola, Gioia del Colle and Trapani. Two of the reserved areas are named NOON N and NOON S.

The notice does not mention nuclear weapons. It doesn't have to. Steadfast Noon is the exercise in which NATO pilots rehearse delivering US B61 nuclear bombs, and Ghedi and Aviano are the two Italian bases where, according to independent estimates, those bombs are stored. Italy has never officially confirmed their presence.

Why this year is different

This exercise takes place in the most dangerous context in decades. The INF Treaty, which banned ground-launched intermediate-range missiles from Europe, collapsed in 2019. New START, the last treaty limiting US and Russian nuclear arsenals, expired in February 2026 with nothing to replace it. New intermediate-range missiles are being deployed on both sides of the continent, and they can reach the bases that host nuclear bombs in a matter of minutes.

In this climate, rehearsing nuclear war is not routine. An exercise can be misread by the other side as preparation for a real attack, as nearly happened with NATO's Able Archer exercise in 1983. Without treaties, there is less transparency, less communication and less time to correct a mistake.

Refusing to take part is possible. In 1989, the German government declined to cooperate with the NATO nuclear exercise WINTEX-CIMEX. Governments can choose restraint.

What we ask of international organisations

We invite peace, disarmament, faith-based and civil society organisations around the world to join us in denouncing the danger of nuclear exercises at this time. In particular, we ask you to:

• Speak out. Issue a statement, publish a briefing, or share our materials with your members and the media. If your organisation has already taken a position on Steadfast Noon 2026, please send it to us so we can amplify it.
• Mobilise. Organise or join local actions, and ask your own governments whether they are taking part in the exercise and on what terms. In Germany, a protest took place at Büchel on 10 October, and another is planned at Nörvenich on 17 October.
• Stay in touch. Let us know what you are planning so we can build a network across borders. Write to info@peacelink.it

Resources

All the materials we have collected, including the analysis of the ENAV notice, the joint appeal, the campaign guide and historical background, are available in Italian at www.peacelink.it/steadfastnoon.

To increase awareness, we have also built a short role-playing simulation of a nuclear crisis in Europe. You take on the role of a head of government, a military commander, a pilot or a radar officer, and you have a few minutes to make decisions with incomplete information. It cannot be won. Play it at www.peacelink.it/risiko, then share it with others. It takes less than fifteen minutes, and it shows why every minute and every treaty matters.

Thank you for continuing work towards nuclear disarmament. Silence is not an option.