Media advisory for Handover-Takeover Ceremonies at Šiauliai, Lithuania
and Ämari, Estonia
On January 7, 2016 NATO’s Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission
will officially hand over at both Šiauliai Air Base, Lithuania, and Ämari Air
Base, Estonia. Two separate handover-takeover ceremonies will take place at the
bases with high-level political and military representatives from all Allies
involved in NATO’s BAP 39th and 40th rotations.
At Šiauliai Air Base, Hungary concludes its first deployment
under NATO’s mission, providing safety to the Baltic region through the end of
2015. Spain will now serve as the new BAP lead nation, which is the second
deployment for Spanish Air Force jets to Šiauliai after their last mission in
2006 with the Mirage F1 fighter. In the
interim years, Spain augmented the BAP mission at Ämari, Estonia, from January to the beginning of May 2015.
At Ämari Air Base, the deployment of German Eurofighter
Typhoon aircraft also draws to a close, and Belgian F-16 fighter jets will
arrive and take over the mission there. For Belgium, this is the second
deployment as an augmenting nation after taking an extended seven-month
rotation from January to August 2015. Belgium served as the first nation to
provide fighters under the BAP rotational plan back in March 2004, starting the
Allied BAP success story. Their airmen and aircraft also executed the mission
in 2006 and 2013.
The BAP mission is a visible assurance to NATO Allies and a
demonstration of the Alliance’s commitment to the collective defence of its
members The alert aircraft visibly prove the Alliance is ready and responsive
24/7/365.
Note to editors:
Media interested in attending the ceremony at Šiauliai Air
Base on January 7 will need to arrive on site by 10:30 local time. All media
representatives are invited to send their personal information to LTU MOD for
accreditation via vis@kam.lt and copy to
Šiauliai Air Base Public Affairs Office, Captain Ieva Gulbiniene (email ieva.gulbiniene@mil.lt), by January5.
For further information please contact Šiauliai Air Base Public Affairs
Office by email or by phone at +370 41 592 151, +370 686 00655 or +37060988602.
Media interested in attending the ceremony at Ämari Air Base
on January 7 will need to arrive on site by 13:30 local time. All media
representatives are invited to send their personal information to the Ämari
Public Affairs Office, Dr. Alar Laats (email alar.laats@mil.ee),
by 16:00 on January 6. For further information please contact Ämari Public
Affairs Office by email or by phone at +372 717 3604.