Key facts
- NATO has upgraded its Baltic air policing mission to an air defence role.
- The new mandate allows pilots to destroy 'objects that pose a threat'.
- The change was announced by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.
- The mission, active since 2004, previously focused on escorting Russian military aircraft.
- This year marked the first time the mission fired its weapons in defence of the alliance, downing stray drones.
NATO has agreed to enhance its Baltic air policing mission, transforming it into a more robust air defence operation. The decision, announced by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, grants pilots a broader mandate that includes the authority to destroy perceived aerial threats.
The Baltic air policing mission, established in 2004 when Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia joined NATO, has historically focused on identifying and escorting Russian military aircraft flying near the airspace of the three Baltic states. These nations do not operate their own fighter jets, relying on the NATO mission for air security.
This year saw a significant escalation when aircraft participating in the mission shot down suspected stray Ukrainian drones over Estonia and Latvia. NATO confirmed these incidents as the first instances of the mission opening fire in defence of the alliance.
President Nauseda noted that while the previous mission was designed for peacetime deterrence through escorting aircraft, the current geopolitical environment necessitates a more active defence posture. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna echoed this sentiment, stating on X that the upgraded mission will offer 'greater flexibility and faster response to air threats'.
Currently, the mission involves scrambling jets to intercept and identify all Russian military planes flying in international airspace adjacent to the Baltic states, extending from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to the Gulf of Finland. The mission's scope was previously expanded in 2014 following Russia's annexation of Crimea, involving over a dozen fighter jets from rotating NATO allies operating from two regional airfields.