This Monday, NATO began the largest military air exercise in the organization’s history, coordinated by Germany and aimed at demonstrating compliance in the face of potential threats, particularly from Russia.
The “Air Defender 23” exercise will last until June 23 and will involve 250 aircraft from 25 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries, in addition to allies such as Japan and Sweden – the latest candidate to join the alliance.
Nearly 10,000 people will take part in the maneuvers aimed at strengthening interoperability and preparing for protection against drones and cruise missiles in the event of an attack on cities, airports or ports on NATO territory.
“The message we are sending is that we can defend ourselves,” said Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz of the German Air Force.
The “Air Defender” maneuvers were devised in 2018, in part in response to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. But Gerhartz insisted they “are not aimed at anyone”.
For example, the exercise “will not send flights to Kaliningrad,” the Russian enclave bordering Poland and Lithuania, members of the military alliance. “We are a defense alliance and the exercise was planned this way,” the lieutenant general stressed.
According to the German Air Force, the first flights departed from Wunstorf, Jagel and Lechfeld bases. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Wunstorf, northern Germany, on Saturday to protest against the exercises.
US Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann said the simulation will “undoubtedly demonstrate the agility and speed of our allied force” and send a message to other countries, such as Russia.
“I would be surprised if a world leader did not understand what this shows in terms of the spirit of this alliance, the strength of the alliance, and that includes Mr. Putin,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “By synchronizing, we multiply our strength,” he added.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has revived the military alliance that was established nearly 75 years ago as a front against the Soviet Union.
Finland and Sweden, traditionally neutral to avoid conflict with Moscow, applied for NATO membership after the Russian invasion. Article 5 of NATO stipulates that an attack on one member of the alliance is considered an attack on all members.
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The exercise includes operational and tactical training, mainly in Germany, but also in the Czech Republic, Estonia and Latvia, with nearly 2,000 sorties.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit the pilots in Schleswig-Jagel, in the north of the country, on Friday.
General Michael Loh, commander of the US Air National Guard, said the NATO mission is at a “tipping point”. “A lot has changed in the strategic panorama in the world, especially in Europe,” he said.
The exercise will be aimed at “completing the permanent presence of the United States in Europe,” as well as providing training “on a larger scale than before on the continent,” Loh added. He also said that many alliance pilots will be working together for the first time.
“We are going to nurture the old relationship we have and build new relationships with this generation of young pilots,” he said. Ambassador Gutmann stressed that there are no plans for the “Air Defender” to become a recurring exercise, but emphasized: “We don’t want this to be the last”.
Asked about the possible effects of the maneuvers on civil air traffic, Gerhartz stressed that every effort will be made to limit flight delays or cancellations.
However, the German authorities admitted that some flights’ schedules could be affected by the manoeuvres, particularly at Frankfurt or Berlin airports.
Source: DN
