Romanian contingent takes over Baltic air policing mission from France
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France has surrendered the NATO-sanctioned Baltic air policing mission to a Romanian contingent. An official exchange ceremony took place at the Lithuanian Air Force Aviation Base in Zokniai on Tuesday. The Romanian Air Force has sent a contingent of 67 servicemen with four upgraded MiG 21 Lancers to Lithuania. It will replace the 120 Frenchme n who were guarding the Baltic skies with four supersonic fighters Mirage 2000. Romania will guard the Baltic skies for three months and will be relaying the mission to Portugal in September. The Baltic countries do not possess the aircraft proper to patrol the airspace. By decision of the North Atlantic Council, planes and contingents have been deployed in Lithuania since 2004 to take several-month turns in guarding the Baltic airspace. The air policing mission in the Baltic countries has already been completed by contingents from Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, the US, Poland, Turkey, Spain and France. Last year, the Baltic defense ministers asked NATO allies to make the decision on air policing permanent and to extend the mission at least until 2018. Lithuania claims that for as long as the Alliance safeguards the security of the airspace, the country can focus its efforts and resources o= n attaining other defense priorities and goals of NATO forces as well as involvement in international operations. Should Lithuania be forced to procure and maintain its own fighters at this time, it should reconsider many other defense projects, particularly in the land force area. BNS |
