NATO to stage biggest air deployment exercise in its history
NATO's Air Defender 23 will be the biggest air deployment exercise in the alliance's history, officials from Germany and the United States said on Wednesday. The drills will take place from June 12 to 23 in Germany, involving up to 10,000 participants and 250 aircraft from 25 countries.
US Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann said the exercise will be "absolutely impressive to anybody who’s watching" and will demonstrate "beyond a shadow of a doubt the agility and the swiftness of our allied force in NATO as a first responder." She added that world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, are likely to "take note" of the strength of the alliance. Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz of the German Air Force said the exercise will be defensive in nature and no flights will be conducted toward the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.