NATO
Allied Air Command
April 1, 2022

Lithuania and Estonia welcome new NATO fighter detachments

NATO’s collective Air Policing mission in the Baltics continues as incoming Allies Spain, Czech Republic and France officially take over from outgoing Allies Poland, Denmark and Belgium.

The traditional handover-takeover ceremonies in Šiauliai, Lithuania, and Ämari, Estonia, took place on March 31, with a strong demonstration of unwavering cohesion and firm solidarity within the Alliance.

At Šiauliai, where NATO fighters have continuously been deployed since 2004, Lithuania’s Vice Minister of National Defence, Margiris Abukevičius underscored that “in light of Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine and a greatly deteriorating security environment in the region, NATO’s Air Policing mission in the Baltic region remains as important as ever. “Against this backdrop, the mission for incoming contingents will demand continuous agility and professionalism,” he underscored.

The representative of NATO, Major General Jörg Lebert, Chief of Staff of Headquarters Allied Air Command in Ramstein, Germany, underscored the importance of the symbolic ceremony “at this time of the worst military aggression in Europe for decades.”…”The fighter jets and personnel from four NATO nations present here today” (and two detachments in Estonia)….According to General Lebert, “Allies are maintaining around 130 combat aircraft on alert – a strong signal of the Alliance’s capability and readiness to shield and protect every inch of our territory.”

At Ämari, NATO fighters have operated since 2014, augmenting the Air Policing mission….

Major General Harold van Pee, Commander of NATO’s northern Combined Air Operations Centre at Uedem, Germany, who represented NATO at Ämari, said that in 2014, “Allies deployed additional jets to the Baltic Sea region to send a crystal-clear message to Russia underlining NATO cohesion and deterring potential aggression. NATO was resolute then and we remain so now; we will not tolerate any attack on Allied sovereignty and territorial integrity.”