| Publication |
2012.
|
| Summary/Abstract |
NATO announced on 8 February that it would be indefinitely extending the duration of the air-policing mission it maintains over the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The NATO air-policing mission over the Baltic states was first established in 2004 and involves the alliance's member states operating a small deployment of aircraft on a rotating four-month basis. These aircraft, and their supporting ground crews, operate from the Siauliai airbase in Lithuania. At the time of the mission's inception, it was intended that it would run until 2011, by which time it was expected that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania would have the capability to defend their íairspace against any potential Russian incursions. However, in 2009 it became clear that these countries were some way off fielding a viable air-defence capability and so NATO extended the mission to 2014. This date was subsequently further extended to 2018 and is expected to be pushed back again to 2024.
|