Troops from France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Türkiye, UK and the US conducted a crossing of the Vistula river near Korzeniewo, Poland, this week (4-5 March 2024). The river crossing was part of Exercise Dragon 24, a Polish-led operational and tactical level multinational exercise and a key element of Steadfast Defender 24, NATO’s largest military exercise in decades. The river crossing was attended by Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda.
A series of exercises are taking place under the umbrella of Steadfast Defender 24, which will include 90,000 troops in total from all NATO Allies and Sweden. Steadfast Defender 24 is based on NATO’s new defence plans, and demonstrates NATO’s ability to deploy forces rapidly from North America and other parts of the Alliance to reinforce the defence of Europe.
A number of high-ranking NATO officials participated in Monday and Tuesday’s media and distinguished visitors’ days, including Major General Cezary Miśniewski, Deputy General Commander of the Polish Armed Forces; Major General Randolph Staudenraus, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations at JFC Brunssum; Brigadier General Guy Foden, Commander of the NATO Very High Readiness Task Force (VJTF); Lieutenant General Piotr A. Błazeusz, First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces; JFC Brunssum Commander General Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta and JFC Norfolk Commander Vice Admiral Douglas G. Perry.
