Germany to host NATO’s largest air force drills

The German Air Force is set to host the largest multinational air operations exercise Air Defender 23 in NATO’s history, with over 10,000 service members from 24 nations participating in the event from 12-23 June 2023.

The participating countries include Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, United Kingdom, and the US, The Diplomatic Insights writes.

For the record, the Air Defender 23 exercise will take place across various locations in Germany, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands, and will feature 220 aircraft from the participating nations, including 100 aircraft from the United States (US) Air National Guard.

The drills will focus on training joint airborne response capabilities to crises, with the goal of enhancing cooperation among NATO forces and showcasing the strength of the alliance.

Moreover, the participating nations will also train air operations in European airspace under the command of the German Air Force.

Thus, Air Defender 23 will serve as a challenging exercise scenario with air warfare operations for friendly and allied air forces. Germany will play a significant role as a collective defence hub within Europe during the exercise.

Air Defender 23 is the largest deployment exercise of air forces in NATO's history and demonstrates transatlantic solidarity. From June 12-23, up to 10,000 exercise participants from 25 nations with 220 aircraft will master air operations in European airspace under the command of the German Air Force.