RAMSTEIN, Germany – After nine months of ensuring Quick Reaction Alert Intercept duties for NATO, Latvia and Germany have officially closed the mission at Lielvārde Air Base in a ceremony on November 27, 2024.
At the end of March, Germany deployed their Eurofighters to Lielvārde Air Base and demonstrated the infrastructure allowed sustained 24/7 Air Policing operations in the airspace above the three Baltic Allies. “NATO has been able to count on Latvia to ensure the mission continues while runway works took place at Ämari in Estonia. Latvia was able to count on NATO and Germany to provide protection of the airspace with Eurofighter jets,” said Brigadier General Tomasz Lenart, Deputy Commander of NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre at Uedem, Germany, which is responsible for Air Policing in Northern Europe. “The past nine months stand for steadfast cohesion, strong commitment and critical solidarity within the Alliance,” he continued to say.
For nine months, German Eurofighters conducted NATO's Air Policing mission out of Lielvārde Air Base. The mission will now go back to Ämari, where Dutch F-35s are scheduled to continue safeguarding skies over the Baltic States. Photo by Patrick Bransmöller.
The German Detachment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Christian Blohm reports "mission accomplished" to the Latvian Air Chief, Colonel Viesturs Masulis, during the closing ceremony on November 27. Photo by Patrick Bransmöller.
NATO's representative, Brigadier General Tomasz Lenart, Deputy Commander of Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem, Germany, underlined the cohesion, commitment and solidarity within the Alliance. Photo by Patrick Bransmöller.
"Security needs strength and teamwork!" The German Air Chief, Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, arrived in a Eurofighter to attend the ceremony. He thanked the Latvian and German staff for mission accomplishment. Photo by Patrick Bransmöller.
Latvia has established Lielvārde as a full-fledged NATO Air Policing hub in the region able to sustain the Allied mission; Allied jets can rely on the comprehensive real-life support the Latvian Armed Forces have provided from accommodation to force protection, refueling and maintenance facilities.
“Today, as we gather to close this chapter of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, I address you not only with pride but with profound gratitude: Latvia has had the honor of hosting this mission over the past nine months, a responsibility we embraced with unwavering commitment and a deep sense of duty,” said the Commander of the Latvian Air Force, Viesturs Masulis. “For the Latvian Air Force, this moment signifies more than the successful conclusion of a rotation. It is a reminder of how far we have come together as NATO allies. This mission reflects the principles we hold dear: collective defence, solidarity, and vigilance in the face of challenges,” he concluded.
"Our security needs strength and and teamwork," said the Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, Chief of the German Air Force. "NATO Air Policing is of key importance for the security of the people in Latvia and the entire Baltic region," he added.
Since 3 March, over 1000 men and women served in five several German detachments. They enabled over 1200 flight hours of four deployed Eurofighters whose pilots conducted over 50 alert launches intercepting Russian military aircraft flying near Latvian and NATO airspace. When drones threatened Latvian airspace, the German Eurofighters worked hand in glove with Latvian Air Defence controllers to provide surveillance and mitigation.
Germany also increased NATO’s surveillance capability with a deployable air control and surveillance unit deployed at Ämari embedded into the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence System in the Baltic region. At Lielvārde, the air defence posture has also been complemented by a Spanish Army NASAMS air defence system that has provided protection in the area.
NATO’s Air Policing will now move back to Estonia, where from December on, Royal Netherlands Air Force F-35 fighter jets will be the first to “inaugurate” the newly renovated runway. They augment Italian and French fighter jets at Šiauliai providing NATO with a flexible robust Air Policing capability in support of the collective deterrence and defence activities in the region.