Several NATO nations carry out nuclear exercises.

By.Scott Jackson

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09/24/2025

On the night of September 23-24 both France and the United States carried out separate nuclear exercises. These exercises act as apart of a deterrence strategy aimed at making any potential adversaries think twice about attacking. They also provide real life training for the crews involved preparing them for a day that they hope never happens.

Some components of these drills were monitored in real time.

COST43 the callsign for a U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury, the Airborne Nuclear Command Post and Communications Relay. The jet is seen in the above image heading back to Ramstein AFB, Germany after this mornings nuclear exercise by U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) over Northern Europe.

The flight of the E-6B was at the same time that radio calls were heard for the transatlantic movement of a B-2A “Spirit” stealth bomber (ZOLAR11) and KC-135R tanker (RAKE24). The tanker was broadcasting its ADS-B data allowing flight trackers to follow its movements to the North Atlantic GIUK and back.

The GUIK is a strategic navel choke point in the North Atlantic Ocean between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom. This spot is important because Russian submarines and much of their surface fleet would need to cross through this gap to get into the Atlantic.

Because this was an exercise, the movements of some of these assets were available and were tracked in real time by hundreds, possibly thousands of people. Mostly aviation and military enthusiasts. Some analysts. Had it been real, this would not be the case. We might have had warning that a B-2 had taken-off only because flight spotters often hangout at Whitman AFB and take pictures. When the United States used the B-2’s to strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities, the U.S. also carried out mass diversionary operations which I suspect would be the case in a real life nuclear event.

This event took place over the North Atlantic GIUK or the at around the same time that France was ending its own nuclear exercise, “Operation Poker”

Operation Poker

The French operation is carried out 4 times a year and is a full rehearsal of a nuclear strike, beginning with long-range high-altitude transit and aerial refueling before moving into low-altitude, high-speed penetration of heavily defended airspace. 

The star of the French operation is the Rafale B fighter jets equipped to simulate launches of the ASMP-A nuclear-capable cruise missile with a 300 kiloton warhead.

Supporting the fighters are A330 MRTT Phénix tankers providing aerial refueling and by E-3F Sentry AWACS aircraft ensuring command-and-control and airborne surveillance.