The Air Defender 23 exercise will be of a defensive nature, and its purpose will be to send a clear message to many countries, including Russia, US Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann explained on Wednesday. “I would be really surprised if world leaders weren’t paying attention to exercises that show the strength of this alliance, and that includes Russian President Vladimir Putin,” she further stated.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Michael Loh, director of the US Air National Guard, warned that NATO is now at a turning point. “Much has changed in the strategic arena around the world, especially in Europe. This exercise is intended to complement the current US presence in Europe and provide training at a higher level,” he added.
The exercise was conceived in 2018, partly in response to Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula, although it is not directed at anyone, said Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz, commander of Germany’s air force. “We are a defense alliance and the exercise is designed as such,” he emphasized.
2000 flights planned
About 2,000 flights are planned as part of the exercise. “However, in light of this, everything in their power has been done to prevent possible delays and cancellations of flights in Germany,” Gerhartz added.
Training at the operational and tactical level will take place in Germany, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Latvia. The 25 participating nations plan to explore how their air forces would respond and cooperate in the event of a military crisis.
25 countries will participate in the exercise: Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Spain, Czech Republic, Turkey, Hungary , USA and Great Britain, as well as Slovenia.
The Slovenian army will participate in the exercise between June 19 and 23 with nine experts from the field of aviation, they confirmed for STA.
