NATO will hold a long-planned major nuclear exercise next week, North Atlantic Alliance chief Mark Rutte said Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

“In an unstable world, it is vital that we test our defenses and strengthen them so that our adversaries know that NATO is ready and able to respond to any threat,” NATO's new secretary general told reporters in London.

The "Steadfast Noon" exercise will start on Monday and last about two weeks. It will be led by Belgium and the Netherlands and will involve eight military bases and 2,000 troops and 60 aircraft from 13 countries. These exercises have been held around the same time every year for more than a decade. They involve bombers and fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads. No warheads are used. The bulk of the exercises take place about 900 kilometers from Russia in the North Sea.

NATO officials say Moscow has been informed about the exercises.