Germany is set to host NATO's largest-ever air force war games in the alliance's history, designed to prove how fast it can respond to potential Russian aggression against one of its members.
The Air Defender exercise (AD23) will last 10 days and involve up to 10,000 troops and 250 aircraft from 23 NATO member states. Sweden, which has applied to join the Western military alliance, will also take part, along with Japan. Japan's inclusion comes as it prepares to open the first-ever NATO liaison office in Asia-Pacific.
France just announced this week its opposition to opening a NATO liaison office in Japan because, well, it is France and Emanuel Macron.
The European air exercise will feature aircraft, including F-35, Eurofighter, Tornado and Gripen jets as well as Reaper drones, helicopters, cargo aircraft and tankers.
It comes when the skies of Europe are busier than at any time since 2019.
The operation will be conducted from several hubs across Germany, placing the country on center stage as it strives to take a more prominent role in European security.
The German Air Force will ensure command and control of air operations during the exercise.
“Our goals for this largest deployment exercise since the foundation of NATO are comprehensive,” said Lt General Ingo Gerhartz, chief of the German Air Force, who explained its primary objectives to Euronews:
We want to demonstrate the agility and swiftness of Air Forces as a first responder and showcase NATO Air Power. In addition, we as the Luftwaffe show that we can plan, organise and execute such a large exercise.
“The collaboration of 24 Nations hones our interoperability and enables a credible deterrence against a potential aggressor. The transatlantic dimension – we will have 100 US Air National Guard aircraft flying in Europe – is a rock-solid proof of NATO cohesion and solidarity,” General Gerhartz added.
“We are showing that NATO territory is our red line, that we are prepared to defend every centimeter of this territory, said Gerhartz.
But we won't, for example, conduct any flights toward Kaliningrad. So this is intended to be defensive.
Kalinigrad is a Russian exclave located on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania.
The general's comments, and the German role in the massive air exercise, were intended to underline the importance of Germany as a hub for Allied defensive operations within Europe.
And it is, but it needs to take its role far more seriously.
A former German general recently said its military “lacks almost everything” it needs to rearm against the threats Europe faces.
Large blocks of airspace will be closed to civil aircraft during the exercise. Each will be closed or heavily restricted for civilian traffic for several hours each day.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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SO DID THIS OCCUR IN 2020 ? OR 2023 ?!!!!