The Air Defender 23 maneuvers, organized by Germany and running until June 23, see the participation of 10,000 people and 250 military aircraft from 25 NATO member and partner countries, including Japan and Sweden, candidate for NATO membership.
The idea for the exercise was floated in 2018 in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, although it did not target “any party” in particular, said General Ingo Gerharz, commander of the German Air Force, during the presentation of the exercise.
Bigger Maneuvering Details
According to NATO, the main objective of this maneuver, which has the largest deployment of air forces in the history of the alliance, is to organize air operations with allied and partner air forces, where the emphasis is focused on maximizing and expanding cooperation between countries. . “With the maneuverable Air Defender 23, we are opening a new chapter in transatlantic history,” said the head of the German Air Force. The maneuver is based on a collective defense scenario also called the Article 5 scenario, in which the Allies deploy their air forces into Germany to fight against the mixed occupation forces of an imaginary adversary. Article 5 of the NATO Charter states that “any armed attack or aggression against one of them (the parties to NATO) shall be considered as aggression against all of them and, accordingly, they agree on the right of self-defence, which is recognized in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, individually or collectively, and to provide support and assistance to the party or parties attacked”. During joint operations, Allied air forces demonstrate their ability to defend NATO territory through rapid and decisive action.The US Air Force deployed to Germany are Air National Guard units from 35 US states, while the bulk of participating forces operate from from 3 German Air Force bases, with others flying from their home bases.The maneuver also includes operational and tactical training, notably in Germany but also in the Czech Republic, Estonia and Latvia. According to the official NATO website, the maneuver confirms Germany’s ability to receive and house large aircraft units at its airports, which allows, among other things, the concept of agile combat employment in the United States that facilitates short-term and external deployments, and the exercises represent proof of “NATO’s deterrence and defense in the Euro-Atlantic area”.
Letters to Moscow?
Despite NATO’s assertion that the maneuver “is not aimed at any party”, Western officials and military experts see it as a “direct message” to Moscow. To show the strength of the alliance at a time when the war continues in Ukraine.
This was told to the press by US Ambassador to Germany, Amy Gutman, where she said: “I would be very surprised if no leader in the world noticed what this shows in terms of spirit of this alliance and what is the strength of this alliance means, and that includes Putin”, referring to the Russian president. .
For his part, the military and strategic expert, Brigadier General Samir Ragheb, explained in exclusive statements to “Sky News Arabia” that the current move by NATO is considered a “moral deterrent”; By showing military capabilities and promoting them in the media.
Ragheb revealed the importance of holding this maneuver at this time, saying:
Any military maneuver is a message, whether there is an event or not, and therefore comes as a deterrent directed against Russia in the midst of its war in Ukraine. Russia promotes that its current war is against NATO and that the victories it wins are against it, while the alliance seeks to show that what it has provided Ukraine is not the capabilities of the NATO, which are far superior to the mere support provided. There will be no Russian response to these maneuvers, because Moscow is already responding with ground operations in Ukraine, just as it has already carried out two strategic maneuvers with nuclear weapons, and this is the most important message. Knowing that his point of superiority is in nuclear weapons, not in conventional ones. The maneuver coincides with the enlargement of NATO to new countries such as Finland and then Sweden, respectively, bringing the number of allies to 31 countries, but on the other hand, Moscow seeks to gain a foothold on the fringes of political geography. of the covenant. NATO is certainly not planning direct operations against Russia at this time.
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