PARIS – NATO will kick of its annual nuclear-deterrence exercise Steadfast Noon on Monday with what will be among the largest number of participating aircraft in recent years.

This year’s edition will center around the North Sea area in Northwest Europe, with aircraft operating out of the Netherlands’ Volkel Air Base as the main hub, NATO officials said in a briefing ahead of the exercise. The United States will participate with four F-35s jets in the dual-capable aircraft role for the first time, with that role previously performed by the F-15E Strike Eagle.

The exercise comes at a time of heightened nuclear tension, with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin in February warning of a high risk of direct military confrontation between nuclear powers, and as countries includ

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