NATO Air Exercise 2023: What to Expect?

German and American officials said the country is preparing to host one of the largest air deployment drills in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The goal is to show off strength and impress friends and enemies like Russia.

EuroNews reported that the Air Defender 23 drill will happen from June 12 to 23. Ten thousand (10,000) people and 250 planes from 25 countries will train to react to a simulated attack on a NATO partner country.

The goal is to train, improve, and increase teamwork between the military forces of the different countries. There would be other planes, as well. These include Eurofighters, F-35 jets, and fighter-bomber A-10s.

About 100 planes are only coming from the United States. 

During the practice, participants would send these things to Europe. The air force says this would also happen first in a case involving an ally. An example would be if an enemy attacked a NATO country in Europe.

NATO Eyes Defending ‘Every Centimeter’ of its Territory

In a Deutsche Welle (D.W.) report, German Air Force Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz said that the country wants to show that NATO land is its red line and that it is ready to protect every inch of it.

But the top German general said the drill intended to show that Germany was taking a “defensive” stance toward Russia. As a response, he said they wouldn’t send any planes toward Kaliningrad.

U.S. ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann said that the drills would be an “impressive” show of force to the rest of the world. The U.S. source told reporters in Berlin, according to a WRAL story, that the air deployment drill would be very impressive to anyone who watches.

She said that the drill would prove beyond a question that the allied force in NATO could act quickly and nimbly as a first responder. Gutmann said she would be shocked if any world leader didn’t notice what this shows about the spirit of this union.

Russian Invasion ‘Shocked’ NATO

Even though the member countries planned the drill for years, Al Jazeera reported that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “shocked” the NATO members in February last year. 

Hence, the group made more efforts to grow and strengthen the military alliance as Japan and Sweden wanted to join NATO. 

The head of the U.S. Air National Guard, Lieutenant General Michael A. Loh, said the drill is more than just a warning.

He said that the military work is about getting their troops ready. Loh also underscored the importance of collaboration within NATO and with partners outside the member countries.

Hence, a top official said a group of NATO countries might be ready to send troops to Ukraine if member states, including the U.S., don’t give Kyiv concrete security guarantees at the alliance’s meeting in Vilnius.

Countries ‘May’ Send Troops to Ukraine

The Guardian said former NATO secretary general Anders Rasmussen has been touring Europe and Washington. Rasmussen had to see how the mood changed before the critical event started on July 11.

He also said that even if a group of states gave Ukraine security promises, other countries would not let Vilnius pass without discussing Ukraine’s future membership in NATO.

Julianne Smith, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, mentioned they are checking other ways to show that Ukraine is getting closer to NATO. 

Rasmussen said that some countries might move independently if NATO can’t agree on what to do with Ukraine.

He said it would be fine for Ukraine to ask for this kind of armed help.

Flight Disruptions Expected

Lexology, citing Germany’s air command, noted that the countries would use three air practice areas for two to four hours daily.

But they say that pilots and airline companies would stop passing by the airspace during these times for safety reasons. 

Hence, many people will need help getting to and around Europe by plane.

The main places where the practice will take place are the airfields of Lechfeld in Bavaria, Wunstorf in Lower Saxony); and Schleswig-Jagel and Hohn in Schleswig-Holstein.

There will be a lot more air activity in these places. These sites include Laage (in Mecklenburg-Pomerania), Spangdahlem (in Rhineland-Palatinate), Volkel (in the Netherlands), and áslav (in the Czech Republic).

Bonus: Why NATO Formed and Grew

Axios said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine forced NATO to grow.

Putin is very against Ukraine joining NATO. He says expanding the union to the east would harm Russia’s security.

Last year, the Russian president said that NATO was fighting a war with Russia through a puppet and giving proxy weapons.

Putin had told Sweden and Finland that joining NATO would be a “mistake.” But he later said that the expansion of NATO to these countries does not directly threaten Russia. If the alliance builds military equipment in these areas, Putin said the government must do something about it.”

Later, the Kremlin said that Finland’s decision to join NATO was an “encroachment on Russia’s security” that would force Russia to take “countermeasures” that were not defined.

Putin is very against Ukraine joining NATO. He says expanding the union to the east would harm Russia’s security.

Last year, the Russian president said that NATO was fighting a war with Russia through a puppet and giving proxy weapons.

Putin had told Sweden and Finland that joining NATO would be a “mistake.” He later said the expansion of NATO to these countries does not directly threaten Russia. According to Putin, Russia must do something if the alliance builds military equipment in these areas.

Later, the Kremlin said that Finland’s decision to join NATO was an “encroachment on Russia’s security” that would force Russia to take “countermeasures” that were not defined.

How the Organization Started

Twelve countries formed NATO in 1949 to protect each other from the Soviet Union, Axios said. These countries include the U.S., Canada, and other Western European countries.

NATO, since Soviet Union’s fall, grew to include 28 European countries, Canada, and the United States. On April 4, 2023, Finland became its 31st member.

Today, NATO aims “to assure the freedom and security of its member countries through political and military means.”

Article 5 of NATO’s original treaty says that an attack on any group member is an attack on all members.

If such an attack does happen, each party will take “measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security.”

Article 5 was used only once, though. That was after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The alliance sent planes to help scan the skies over the U.S.

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