US Embassy, Tallinn, January 4, 2012

The German Air Force, using F-4 Phantom fighters, assumed responsibility today for providing air space security for the Baltic States. This marks the fifth time Germany has provided air policing to the Baltic States, assuming the role from the Danish Air Force, which in turn took over the mission from France from September 1.

NATO countries’ air forces have provided air space security to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania by rotation since 2004, and the air forces from the United States as well as those of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, have taken part in the mission.

The NATO aircraft that provide air space security to the Baltic countries are based at the Zokniai Air Base in the vicinity of Siauliai, Lithuania. The U.S. has conducted three deployments of fighters to support the effort and last covered the mission in the final quarter of 2010.

Märkmed: