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Feb 12 2025

NCIA supports Steadfast Dart 25, the first ever large-scale deployment of NATO’s Allied Reaction Force

From 10 to 21 February 2025, Exercise Steadfast Dart 25 is taking place in Bulgaria, Greece and Romania. This alert and deployment exercise marks the first operational deployment of NATO’s Allied Reaction Force (ARF) since the Force’s establishment on 1 July 2024.

The exercise will test NATO’s ability to activate the ARF, coordinate its swift transit and project strategic deterrence by bolstering forces along the Alliance’s eastern flank.

Approximately 10,000 land and special operation forces from nine participating Allied Nations - Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom - are coming together to test and train their abilities. Collectively, they will provide 17 naval assets, dozens of aircraft and more than 1,500 military vehicles during the mission.

Steadfast Dart 25 is executed on existing NATO and national communications and information systems (CIS) infrastructure. The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) provides integral CIS and technical support to ensure the exercise runs efficiently and successfully. These efforts include setting up, configuring and testing CIS architecture for exercise participants, implementing appropriate network security and remaining available around the clock to resolve any arising technological issues.

Exercises like Steadfast Dart 25 are essential to increase NATO’s interoperability, efficiency and resilience, which is why support to operations and exercises continues to be an overriding priority for NCIA in 2025.