The changeover ceremony of the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission was attended by Vice Minister of National Defence Vytautas Umbrasas, Chief of Staff Headquarters Allied Air Command Major General Claudio Gabellini, ambassadors, representatives of Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian Air Forces, representatives of Šiauliai city and other guests.
Servicemen of the Belgian Air Force with four F-16 fighter jets Fighting Falcon were deployed to the NATO Air Policing Mission in Lithuania for the fourth time already, three more times Belgian servicemen were deployed to ensure the security of NATO eastern boarders from Estonia.
We would like to remind that the Belgian Air Force was the first who started rotations of the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission when the Baltic States joined this most powerful defence alliance in the world. After that Belgium sent its servicemen with fighter jets to Šiauliai in 2006 and 2013.
The Belgian contingent starting the rotation from 1 September will come from home stations in Kleine Brogel and Florennes Air Bases.
The outgoing Portuguese servicemen with four F-16 fighters have been carrying out the air policing mission since May. The rotation comprised about 90 servicemen including pilots, technicians, medical personnel, support teams, communications and other specialists. Servicemen of the Spanish Air Force who augmented the mission protected the Baltic airspace with six fighters Eurofighter Typhoon. In total the mission augmentation included about 130 servicemen.
During their deployment in Šiauliai, the contingents were in communication with Šiauliai city society, received excursions of schoolchildren and students, participated in public events and provided support to Šiauliai orphanage.
The NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission will be augmented by the German Air Force servicemen with four fighters Eurofighter Typhoon deployed in Estonia. It is the ninth time Germany is manning the NATO Air Policing Mission in Baltic States.
The NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission is supervised by NATO’s Allied Air Command in Ramstein, Germany, and controlled by two Combined Air Operations Centers in Uedem, Germany and Torrejon, Spain.
