WITH AN EYE TO RUSSIA, US SENDS 100 AIRCRAFT FOR NATO’S BIGGEST AIR EXERCISE EVER
Constantine Atlamazoglou | June 16, 2023
On Monday, more than 250 aircraft and 10,000 personnel from 25 countries kicked off NATO’s largest air exercise in the alliance’s history. The Air Defender exercise, which is hosted and headed by Germany, simulates NATO’s response following an attack on one of its members by a third country.
“Air Defender sends a clear message that NATO is ready to defend every inch of Allied territory,” Oana Lungescu the alliance’s spokesperson said.
Finland, the alliance’s newest member, is also participating in the exercise, as is Sweden, which has applied to join the alliance, and NATO partner Japan.
Collective defense on a large scale
NATO is underpinned by its famous Article 5, according to which an attack against one of the alliance’s 31 members is considered an attack against all. Article 5 has only been invoked once in the alliance’s history, following the 9/11 attacks against the United States.
https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/with-an-eye-to-russia-us-sends-100-aircraft-for-natos-biggest-air-exercise-ever/
