When Russian drones entered Polish airspace, alarms were raised, including among NATO allies, who came to their aid. What measures has the Alliance taken to prepare for Russian attacks?
Six NATO countries border Russia. They report disturbances almost daily: GPS signals failing, planes flying over NATO territory, drones gathering intelligence. When such a flying object is spotted, an alarm is triggered. Fighter jet pilots put on their suits and rush to their planes. This can be seen at an air base in Lithuania, and something similar happened on Wednesday evening in Poland, when nearly 20 drones suddenly invaded Polish airspace.
DEESCALIBRATION DID NOT WORK WITH RUSSIAN DRONES
When an unauthorized flying object enters airspace, an attempt is usually made to de-escalate the situation and convince the pilots to turn back. In the case of the Russian drones, this did not work: for the first time, three flying objects were shot down. As NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte later explained, this was a joint NATO action. In addition to Polish fighter jets, Dutch and Italian fighter jets also participated.
NATO regularly offers visits to joint bases, also to demonstrate alliance cooperation. Since the Baltic States, for example, do not have their own air defense, other NATO countries are responsible for protecting the airspace in turn. Five German Eurofighters were also on duty in Poland to react immediately in case of an alarm. They are known as the “airspace police”.
NATO HAS EXPANDED ITS PRESENCE SINCE THE WAR IN UKRAINE
Since the attack on Ukraine, NATO has greatly expanded its presence on its eastern border. International combat troops are stationed in eight countries and regularly train for emergencies. Germany is sending a brigade to Lithuania. NATO’s rapid reaction force, which should be ready to operate within two to seven days, has been moved to Romania.
Last year, 90.000 NATO troops took part in exercises to practice what would happen if a NATO member was attacked by Russia. Who comes to their aid first? Where do the supplies come from? The United States plays a crucial role in this. It has nearly 80.000 troops stationed in Europe.
POLAND REFERRED TO ARTICLE 4
But the activation of the mutual defense clause under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty has not yet occurred. In fact, it has only been activated once in NATO’s history: when planes crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Poland activated Article 4 of the Treaty after Russian drones entered its airspace. According to this article, a country that feels threatened can trigger the consultation process. That is what happened, and after consultations with 32 NATO representatives, Rutte was clear: “One thing is clear: this incident is not an isolated case. Our Supreme Commander will continue to provide deterrence along the entire eastern border. Allies are determined to protect every inch of NATO territory.”
Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have called on NATO members to further increase defense spending. Poland is a good example in this regard: it already spends 4.5% of its economic power on defense, more than any other NATO country.(DW)