The Faltic Air Policing duties safeguard and protect the airspace, ensuring the safety for all users. BAP implements a unified Alliance and the enduring cohesion, solidarity, and commitment to collective defense. During the deployment, these attachments will also have training opportunities with Allies and Partners in the area. The Portuguese detachment will be the lead nation at Siauliai Air Base, while Romania will be the augmenting nation co-located there. Both nations are flying their F-16s in joint deployment.
As members of the Alliance, we are determined to ensure the same goal of promoting security and stability in the region. The Romanian F-16 detachment actively participates in Air Policing missions in the Baltic states, demonstrating our commitment to NATO’s 360-degree approach from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to improving interoperability and sharing valuable experiences, especially when engaging partners like Cosmin Vlad.
NATO initiated the Baltic Air Policing after the accession of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to the Alliance in 2004, with a fighter detachment stationed at Šiauliai in a rotational basis. During the crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, the Air Policing capability was bolstered by adding fighter detachments to Estonia and Poland – a strategic response to reassure Allies in the face of a regional crisis. Since February 2022, the Alliance has further reinforced its defensive posture on the eastern flank by expanding the participation of additional air assets in the Baltic Air Policing mission. The Baltic Air Policing mission serves as a NATO air defense Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) in order to guard the airspace above the territories of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, enhancing the collective security of the three Baltic nations.
