As a message to Moscow about its deterrent potential NATO perceived n larger air exercise in the history of the Alliance which includes at least 250 military aircraft and over 10,000 soldiers. The start of the exercise was officially announced on Monday by German Air Force (Luftwaffe).

During the two-week “Air Defender 2023” exercise, fighter jets will perform defensive maneuvers in German and European airspace under the command of the German Air Force.

“The military exercise will demonstrate the power of NATO and the transatlantic alliance”noted Luftwaffe Chief of Staff Ingo Gerharts.

“We are a defense alliance and in the event of an attack, we are ready to defend NATO territory and we just have to prove that,” the vice-general told public broadcaster RBB. He insisted, however, that the exercise is not a response to Russia’s war in Ukraine first proposed by Germany in 2018, and planned for the next few years.

Gerharts said Germany is aware of its responsibilities and wants to play a stronger role in Europe’s security. “We are now taking responsibility, we are showing that we are taking something into our own hands” commented.

During the exercise, the air forces of 25 countries will practice joint operations, responding to a simulated attack on a NATO country.

Of the 250 military aircraft participating, 100 are American, including F-35 and F-16 fighters. The German Air Force will participate with 90 aircraft, including A400M transports, Eurofighters and Tornado fighters.

The areas will only be used for up to four hours a day at various times and will be closed to civilian air traffic during those hours, NATO said. Commercial flights through German airspace will see changes and minor delays.

Forces from Belgium, Bulgaria, Britain, France, Germany, Denmark, Greece (the 347 Squadron “PERSEAS”), Estonia, USA, Japan, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Turkey, Czech Republic and Finland will participate in training scenarios simulating the activation of Article 5.

Bases in Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic will be used as hubs and the exercises will take place in German airspace, but also in the Baltic and Romania, with flights “out -and-back’. Operations will last two to four hours a day, during which, for security reasons, no civilian flights will be allowed. Exercises will not take place at night and on weekends.