Massive NATO Air Force Deployment Exercise in Berlin Sends Message to Russia

Berlin –

Military alliance North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will hold air force deployment exercises starting next week. Led air force drills German it will be the largest in the history of NATO in the European region.

As reported AFPWednesday (7/6/2023), the exercise named ‘Air Defender 23’ will be held for 10 days starting Monday (12/6) next week, involving around 220 military aircraft from 25 NATO member countries and partner countries.

Ambassador United States of America (US) for Germany, Amy Gutmann, while explaining plans for the massive drills emphasized that the drills were purely defensive in nature. Gutmann also stated that this air force exercise was meant to send a message to several countries, incl Russia.

“I would be very surprised if any world leader did not pay attention to what this exercise demonstrated, in terms of the spirit of this alliance, which means the strength of this alliance, and that includes Mr (Vladimir) Putin,” Gutmann said, referring to the Russian president.

“By synchronizing together, we multiply our power,” Gutmann said while speaking to reporters.

The drills will cover both operational and tactical level training, with the majority of them taking place in Germany, but also in the Czech Republic, Estonia and Latvia.

General Ingo Gerhartz of the German Luftwaffe, a kind of Air Force, said the ‘Air Defender’ exercises were held from 2018 in response to Russia’s unilateral annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. But he also stressed that the exercise was “not targeted at anyone”.

“We are a defense alliance and that is how this exercise was planned,” he stressed.

See also Video ‘Russia Collaborates with NATO Countries on Nuclear Projects’:

Check out the full news on the next page.

(nvc/ita)