Sharjah24 – AFP: NATO begins its largest ever air force deployment exercise in Europe, in a display of unity toward partners and potential threats such as Russia.
The German-led "Air Defender 23" will include some 250 military aircraft from 25 NATO and partner countries including Japan and Sweden, which is bidding to join the alliance.
Commenting on this, Stephan Weil, Minister-President of Lower Saxony stated, "That this exercise is necessary is certainly much clearer today than it was when it was first planned. We have known since the Russian invasion of Ukraine that the European security architecture, as we have assumed it for decades, no longer works."
Ingo Gerhartz, German Air Force lieutenant general also said, "With AirDefender 23 we show, we prove and we demonstrate the defence capability of this alliance. The signal of this exercise is not directed against anybody. It is a signal to us, directed inwardly within NATO. It is predominantly NATO countries that are participating in this exercise, which is German-led, (to show) that we are capable of defending this country and this alliance."
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