Berlin: The German Armed Forces released a statement announcing that NATO will hold its largest-ever air force exercises this summer. The exercise, dubbed "Air Defender 23," is slated to take place between June 12 and June 24 and is anticipated to involve hundreds of aircraft from numerous countries.
The Bundeswehr stated that the war games will involve a total of 10,000 soldiers and 220 aircraft, and that they will train "in the European airspace." According to the statement, the US will supply 100 of the aircraft from its stock.
Berlin claims that the exercises will take place mostly in German territory, but a map released by the Bundeswehr suggests that Estonia, which borders Russia, and Romania, which borders Ukraine, could also be used.
Also Read: US urges Turkiye to comply with sanctions against Russia
The Bundeswehr described the exercises as "challenging air operations training" for the participating troops, noting that the plan "is modelled after an Article 5 Assistance scenario." The purpose of the exercise is to "optimise" international cooperation and highlight the "strength" of the military alliance.
The exercises will involve 24 countries in total, including Finland, which only joined NATO in April. Sweden, which is not yet a member of the bloc, will also take part in the exercise.
In the June exercise led by Germany, about half of the aircraft will come from the US Air National Guard. Lieutenant General Michael Loh, the drill's commander, insisted that there is no predetermined scenario that pits the NATO forces against a specific foe. Nevertheless, he did bring up Moscow at a briefing on the subject earlier this week.
Also Read: Germany: Smoke from the Hamburg fire halts trains and issues a warning
In order to ensure that we are prepared to respond if Russia ever lines up on the NATO border, he said on Wednesday, "this is now putting the alliance quickly together, with a credible force." "We'll defend every inch," the group said.
The German Air Force adopted a similar stance. Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, the commanding officer, declared, "We won't write Russia a letter," adding that he believed "they get the message."
The exercises take place concurrently with Defender Europe 23, a different US-led exercise. According to Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon's deputy press secretary, "this annual, nearly two-month exercise is focused on the strategic deployment of US-based forces, the employment of Army pre-positioned stocks, and interoperability with European allies and partners."
Also Read: King Charles' first Easter as king brings together the British royal family
The exercises, which will take place across ten European nations, will involve 17,000 troops from 26 other countries in addition to 9,000 US soldiers, Singh said. She added that Washington had already begun sending the exercise's necessary equipment to Europe. The first pieces of equipment, according to the Pentagon, have already arrived in Spain.
As part of the drills, about 7,000 pieces of equipment must be shipped to Europe. The Pentagon stated that an additional 13,000 pieces of equipment will be taken from pre-positioned stocks. On April 22, the US-led exercise is scheduled to begin.