Beginning on Monday, the skies over Germany will be filled with the largest number of military aircraft in peacetime as NATO is set to hold the Air Defender 23 exercise – the largest-ever air force deployment in the alliance’s history. It will involve 10,000 participants, and 250 aircraft from 25 countries, including around 100 aircraft from the United States.
The event, which will run from June 12-23, is meant to ensure a coordinated response from NATO allies under Article 5 of the alliance’s charter, which states that an attack on a NATO member nation is considered an attack on all the members.
“Our goals for this largest deployment exercise since the foundation of NATO are comprehensive,” explained Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, chief of the German Luftwaffe (Air Force).
“We want to demonstrate the agility and swiftness of Air Forces as a first responder and showcase NATO Air Power,” Gerhartz added. “In addition, we as the Luftwaffe show that we can plan, organise and execute such a large exercise. We take responsibility. 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.”
Deterrent to Russia – Air Show of Force
Though the event is meant to serve as a deterrent to Russia, it won’t actually seek to “poke the bear.” Gerhartz noted that no flights will be conducted near the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Coast or other Russian airspace.
Instead, the air show of force is intended to be a defensive exercise.
The large-scale exercise had been planned for several years, but Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 only served to stress the importance of how the alliance can react to a crisis. In addition to aircraft from multiple NATO member states, Sweden – which is seeking membership – as well as Japan are taking part.
“This is an exercise that would be absolutely impressive to anybody who’s watching, and we don’t make anybody watch it,” U.S. Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann told reporters in Berlin this week.
“It will demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt the agility and the swiftness of our allied force in NATO as a first responder,” Gutmann continued. “That that includes Mr. Putin.”
Display of Combat Aircraft
Air Defender 23 will be conducted from three hubs across Germany, which has sought to increase its defensive posture and take a more prominent role in European security. The multinational exercise will focus on operational and tactical-level field training, held mainly in Germany, with forward operating locations in the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Latvia.
The drills will feature a variety of combat aircraft including F-35 Lightning II, Eurofighter, Tornado, and JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets; as well as Reaper drones, helicopters, cargo aircraft, and tankers. U.S. Air National Guard jets from the United States began to arrive in Germany earlier this week.
Russia has offered no commentary on the exercises – however, Moscow launched its own naval exercises in the Baltic Sea that are coinciding with a previously-planned NATO drill in the waters. Even if the aircraft won’t fly near Russian airspace, it will be hard for the Kremlin to miss the message.
Author Experience and Expertise:
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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