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From January to March 2026, NATO is conducting its annual large-scale exercise Steadfast Dart 2026, focusing on the deployment and logistical support of the Allied Reaction Force (ARF) — the Alliance’s newly established rapid response force — from Turkey, Italy, and Spain to Germany. This was reported by the official Bundeswehr portal and relayed by UATV English.
“During Steadfast Dart 2026, the ARF units will be activated in their home countries and moved by sea, land, and air from Turkey, Italy, and Spain across Europe and its adjacent seas to Germany. NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Italy will provide the main headquarters and exercise operational command over the ARF in all dimensions — not only during these exercises but in all potential scenarios,” the Bundeswehr stated.
The ARF was created in 2024 to replace the previous NATO Response Force (NRF) and serves as a highly mobile multinational formation. Within six months, up to 800,000 NATO troops can be deployed across the area of responsibility of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SHAPE), with approximately 20,000 ARF troops ready to act within ten days.
For Steadfast Dart 2026, around 10,000 soldiers from 11 NATO countries will participate, including Italy, Greece, Germany, Czechia, Spain, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Turkey, with support from France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. About 7,300 troops will arrive in Germany, the host nation, alongside roughly 1,500 ground vehicles, ranging from trucks to self-propelled howitzers, excluding aircraft and naval units.
Among the exercise highlights is the participation of the Turkish multipurpose amphibious ship TCG “Anadolu”, Turkey’s first vessel of its type, which will transit to the Baltic Sea.
According to the Bundeswehr, for Germany, Steadfast Dart 2026 is a core component of the national Quadriga 2026 training cluster, with over 2,000 soldiers from the army and navy coordinating with ARF forces in the Grand Quadriga and Northern Quadriga exercises, both on land and at sea.
“Steadfast Dart exercises are not based on fictional scenarios. They are planned and conducted as realistic operations to improve readiness, demonstrate capabilities to deter potential aggressors, and assure NATO partners that Germany is a reliable and resilient logistical hub,” the Bundeswehr emphasized.
Earlier, in December 2025, Estonia hosted the two-week “Lightning” exercises, aimed at testing the rapid deployment of allied reinforcements and integrating them into NATO battle groups alongside Estonian units.
