NATO
Allied Air Command
March 17, 2023

NATO Surface-based Air defence community trains interoperability in major exercise

Two major NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) exercises are combined with the largest European air defence exercise l from March 6 to April 1, 2023 providing for interoperability among Allied forces.

NATO’s exercises Steadfast Armour 23 (STAR23) and Ramstein Century (RACE23) are integrated with the Netherlands-led command post exercise Joint Project Optic Windmill 2023 (JPOW) exploiting synergies of the IAMD community.

….almost all NATO member states have their own air defence capabilities…but systems and operators need to train their interoperability together….

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Participants include personnel from AIRCOM [NATO’s Allied Air Command], MARCOM [NATO’s Allied Maritime Command], STRIKEFORNATO [Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO] and from headquarters across the Alliance. Deployed real-world surface-based air and missile defence systems are also tied in simulating effect: PATRIOT batteries from Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and Romania and NASAMS batteries from Norway, the Netherlands and Hungary together with the US THAAD [Terminal High Altitude Area Defense] system, jets and vessels….The tools and systems in various locations in the Western world will then include all levels from the single defence unit up to the highest NATO decision.