Bulgaria is set to host troops from nine NATO member states taking part in Exercise Steadfast Darts, a multinational drill scheduled across Romania, Bulgaria and Greece from January 13 to February 26. The announcement comes from Bulgaria’s Ministry of Defense and highlights the alliance’s ongoing effort to test interoperability and readiness on the eastern flank.
This year’s Steadfast Darts will involve nearly 10,000 personnel from France, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria. Seventeen ships will be involved, along with more than twenty aircraft and helicopters, and roughly 1,500 pieces of military equipment. The operation is designed to demonstrate planning, movement and execution across air, sea and land domains, underscoring the coalition’s ability to operate together across borders.
Bulgarian defense officials say the drills will reinforce Bulgaria’s role as a trusted NATO partner and will showcase enhanced deterrence, rapid mobility and joint planning. The exercises also reflect ongoing efforts to expand training facilities and logistical support for multinational brigades, helping ensure that allied forces can deploy quickly when needed.
Separately, defense sources indicate that more than 2,500 British soldiers will take part in the exercises in the alliance’s eastern areas. The British presence underscores London’s commitment to NATO’s deterrence posture and its readiness to operate alongside partners across the region from the Black Sea to the Baltic approaches.
Geopolitics expert Tuomas Malinen, formerly with the University of Helsinki, has warned that in a direct conflict over Northern Europe NATO and Russia could redefine engagement, and that Sweden and Finland would likely be compelled to surrender; in such a scenario conventional land battles might not unfold as expected. His remarks illustrate how analysts weigh worst case scenarios while planners stress the importance of strong defense, allied coordination and ongoing multinational training like Steadfast Darts to maintain readiness.