26 January 2026 – Brunssum, The Netherlands – On Monday, 26 January 2026, the Commander of the Allied Reaction Force (ARF) met with the Commander of Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFC-BS) to provide an operational update on the ongoing Mission Rehearsal Exercise Steadfast Dart 26 (STDT26), currently being conducted in Germany.
During the meeting, the ARF Commander outlined the current operational situation, key activities and progress of the mission rehearsal phase, highlighting the readiness, responsiveness and integration of the ARF components. The briefing underlined the effectiveness of the ARF as an interconnected and resilient force model, ensuring continuous command and control capability, decision-making readiness and operational continuity in a complex, multi-domain environment.
For the current year, the forces designated to form the ARF components are drawn from multiple NATO Allies, reflecting the Alliance’s collective approach and high level of interoperability. Italy provides the land component through the Multinational Division South and the Alpini Brigade “Julia”. Spain contributes the maritime component through ESP MARFOR and also provides the Special Forces Command. Allied Air Command (AIRCOM), NATO Cyber Command and the NATO Space Centre stand ready, when required, to deliver critical capabilities and assets across the air, cyber and space domains.
Steadfast Dart 2026 continues to serve as a key proving ground for the Alliance, strengthening the readiness and ability of the ARF to operate as a fully joint, multi-domain and interoperable force. The exercise validates NATO’s capacity to rapidly deploy and employ forces across the full spectrum of contemporary crises, reinforcing Allied deterrence and defence and demonstrating, once again, that “together we are stronger.”