This is the third time Spain is contributing to the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission after one deployment to Šiauliai Airbase and another – to Amari Airbase (Estonia).
The Spanish Air Force Detachment comprising roughly 130 soldiers (pilots, maintenance and medical personnel, support teams, experts of communications and other areas) deployed from its homebase in Albacete.
The rotation ceremony will be conducted in the presence of Vice Minister Marijus Velička, Chief of Defence Staff of Spain General Admiral Fernando Garcia Sanchez, Commander of the Hungarian Air Force Brigadier General Albert Safar, and other distinguished guests.
The outgoing Hungarian detachment was protecting the Baltic airspace with four JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets and approx. 80 soldiers. Aside from the air policing tasks, the Hungarian troops were also took part in local community life, made donations to Šiauliai Residence for Infants with Development Delays, hosted excursions of schoolchildren and students of higher education institutions.
A Belgian Air Force detachment with four F-16 fighter aircraft will augment the NATO Air Policing Mission from the airbase in Amari, Estonia. The Belgian detachment will take over the mission from German troops with four Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets in January. NATO allies have augmented enhanced the Baltic Air Policing Mission since April 2014 as part of NATO security assurance measures.
NATO began deploying military personnel and air assets to protect Baltic airspace upon Lithuania, Latvia's and Estonia's NATO accession in March 2004. Since then, 16 NATO allies have already provided rotations of the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic States. The incoming Spanish air detachment will conduct the 40th rotation of the mission since its outset in 2004.
The NATO Air Policing Mission is a keystone to Alliance's solidarity, and protection of integrity of the NATO airspace is a collective task. NATO applies equal security requirement to all allies, including those not in possession of their own capabilities suitable for the purpose, for example, the Baltic States. NATO air assets held on all-year-round standby in the Baltic States are ready to respond to any potential breaches of the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
