North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Operation
October 8, 2013
NATOs Air Command provides five years of training in the Baltic Region
Amari Air Base in Estonia
The sixteenth Baltic Region Training Event (BRTE XVI) designed to hone the skills of NATO’s Air Forces and secure Alliance airspace is currently underway in Estonia. The event is being held on 8 and 9 October 2013. Belgium, who is currently leading the Air Policing mission above the Baltic’s, is working together with Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, France and Finland to execute this live-fly training. For the last 5 years, NATO’s Air Command at Ramstein has organised and conducted this training.
The Baltic members (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) do not have the means necessary to provide air policing of their territory. Therefore, they are assisted by other NATO members to preserve the integrity of their sovereign airspace in peacetime, and to ensure their collective security. This important peacetime task demonstrates the collective political will and resolve of NATO nations.
“Five years of BRTEs underlines NATO’s reliable commitment to safety and security in the Baltic Region,” says LtCol Thierry Coupeau, French Air Force, project officer for BRTE XVI at HQ AIRCOM in Ramstein, Germany. “NATO’s Baltic Air Policing allies have deployed their fighters to Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania, providing an air policing capability for the Baltic States since 2004. The Belgian Air Force was the first to make this capability available with their F-16 deployment from March to July 2004.”
This two day training event is focusing on exercising and perfecting intercept and handover procedures between the different nations. Simulated emergency situations like a crew ejection and a practice diversion to an alternate airfield will also be executed.
The event includes fighters from Belgium, aircraft and helicopters from Estonia and Lithuania, an airborne warning and control aircraft from NATO and one from France. They are being joined by F-18 fighters from, the Partnership for Peace member, Finland.
Belgium is currently the leader of Baltic Air Policing. Meantime, from January until April 2014 fighters from the United States of America will take over the Baltic Air Policing mission.
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