US general: NATO boosts air defences after drone incursion into Lithuania

NATO is strengthening its air-defence capabilities following a drone incursion into Lithuania, as the alliance adapts to the growing threat posed by drones and other aerial weapons, a senior US Air Force commander said.

Lt. Gen. Jason T. Hinds, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and U.S. Air Forces Africa and of NATO’s Allied Air Command, said he had been tasked with implementing NATO’s Enhanced Vigilance Activity Eastern Sentry and a new integrated air and missile defence plan, TWZ reports.

Asked about the drone that was shot down over Lithuania, Hinds said he did not “know the why behind” the incursion but had been directed by US Air Force Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, to “fully implement [EVA Eastern Sentry] and now its Standing Defense Plan 12000.”

The plan is intended to provide NATO member states with capabilities to defend their airspace against threats ranging from one-way attack drones to cruise missiles, Hinds said.

NATO established Eastern Sentry in September 2025 after what the alliance described as an unprecedented number of Russian drones and aircraft violating the airspace of several NATO members.

Standing Defence Plan 12000 is a new framework for integrated air and missile defence across the alliance. Grynkewich outlined the concept during testimony to the US Congress in March.

Hinds also acknowledged that Russia could be testing NATO’s defences.

He said the alliance had changed its approach as aerial threats evolved, moving “away from air policing” toward air defence for specific operational reasons.

European countries have reported a range of incidents that they have linked to Russian activity, including a recent attempted drone attack involving a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig-Halle Airport in Germany.

By Sabina Mammadli