NATO has started the largest-ever air force deployment exercise in the Western military alliance’s history, a drill presented as a display of unity among members and partners of the bloc as tensions with Russia escalated following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The German Air Force-led “Air Defender 23” exercises, which began on Monday, involve approximately 250 military aircraft from 25 NATO and partner countries, including Japan and NATO applicant Sweden. Up to 10,000 service members are participating in the drills, which run until June 23 and are designed to boost interoperability and preparedness of NATO “air forces in a crisis”, including protecting against drones and cruise missiles in the case of an attack within NATO territory. Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that NATO’s air forces are “of central importance in the event of an attack”, and the exercise has “the goal of making it clear that NATO and the German Air Force are ready to defend themselves”. The US Air National Guard has deployed 100 aircraft to Europe from 42 US states to supplement the permanent United States presence in Europe and provide training on a larger scale than what was usually accomplished on the continent.
The exercise will focus on “supplementing the permanent United States presence in Europe” and providing training “on a larger scale than what was usually accomplished on the continent”, General Michael Loh, director of the US Air National Guard, said. The increased presence of Russian military aircraft was attributed to the annual US-led naval military exercise, BALTOPS, which takes place in the Baltic Sea and involves 50 ships and boats from 19 NATO states and Sweden. The Russian Baltic Fleet is also conducting military exercises.
