Staff Writer
In a show of solidarity toward allies and prospective enemies like Russia, NATO on Monday launched its largest ever air force deployment exercise in Europe.
Around 250 military aircraft from 25 NATO and partner nations, including Japan and Sweden, which is applying to join the alliance, will be part of the German-led “Air Defender 23.” The event runs through June 23.
The exercises are designed to improve interoperability and readiness to defend against drones and cruise missiles in the event of an assault within NATO territory, and up to 10,000 service members are expected to take part.
According to German Luftwaffe Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, “the important message we’re sending is that we can defend ourselves.”
Although Gerhartz stated it was “not targeted at anyone,” “Air Defender” was partly inspired by the Russian takeover of Crimea from Ukraine four years earlier.
He declared that the drill will not “send any flights, for example, in the direction of Kaliningrad,” a Russian outpost that borders the alliance members Poland and Lithuania.
“We are a defensive alliance, and that is how this exercise is planned,” he declared.
The first planes took off from the Wunstorf, Jagel, and Lechfeld air bases in the late morning, a Luftwaffe official told AFP.
The slogan “Practice peace — not war” was carried by hundreds of protesters who had assembled at Wunstorf in northern Germany on Saturday. Protesters demanded an immediate ceasefire and a “diplomatic solution” to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The drill, according to the US ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann, will demonstrate “beyond a shadow of a doubt the agility and the swiftness of our allied force” and is meant to send a message to nations like Russia.
She told reporters, referring to the Russian president, “I would be pretty surprised if any world leader was not taking note of what this shows in terms of the spirit of this alliance, which means the strength of this alliance.”
After Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Finland and Sweden, which had long maintained an official façade of neutrality to prevent conflict with Moscow, both applied to join NATO.
An attack on one member of NATO is regarded as an attack on all members under Article 5.
Great Power Rivalry
With a total of almost 2,000 flights, the exercise comprises operational and tactical level training, principally in Germany but also in the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Latvia.
On Friday, Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, will pay a visit to pilots stationed at the Jagel airbase in northern Germany.
An “inflection point” has been reached, according to General Michael Loh, director of the US Air National Guard, regarding NATO’s responsibilities.
The strategic terrain has undergone significant shift all around the world, particularly in Europe, he claimed.
The mission of the exercise will be to provide training “on a larger scale than what was typically accomplished on the continent” and “supplement the permanent United States presence in Europe,” according to Loh.
Many of the alliance pilots, according to him, were collaborating for the first time.
In addition to strengthening existing bonds with the younger generation of airmen, he said, “it’s about forging new ones.”
The strategic picture throughout the world, particularly in Europe, is what this is about now, he continued, “defining what it means to go against a great power in a great power competition.
While “Air Defender” was not intended to be a regular exercise, Gutmann said: “We have no desire for this to be the last.”
When asked about the possibility of the exercise interfering with civilian air travel, Gerhartz responded that the organizers will “do everything in our power” to keep flight delays and cancellations to a minimum.
Authorities and business associations in Germany have issued a warning that the closeness of drill zones to major hubs like Frankfurt and Berlin-Brandenburg may have an impact on airline schedules.
