NATO has sought to counter increased Russian aggression along Europe’s flank with the launch of Eastern Sentry, a new multidomain security initiative.
As per a recent press statement, Eastern Sentry is a direct response to a series of violations of airspace over Poland and Romania by Russian drones earlier this month.
NATO has said Eastern Sentry will be an open-ended activity “which will commence in the coming days and continue for an undisclosed amount of time.”
The alliance’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Alexus G. Grynkewich commented: “The violation of Poland’s airspace earlier this week is not an isolated incident and impacts more than just Poland. While a full assessment of the incident is ongoing, NATO is not waiting, we are acting.”
He added: “Eastern Sentry and this new approach will deliver even more focused and flexible deterrence and defence where and when needed to protect our people and deter against further reckless and dangerous acts like what occurred earlier this week.”
The new initiative, a natural complement to the already-active Baltic Sentry enhancing NATO’s presence in the Baltic Sea, comes hot on the heels of a meeting of the North Atlantic Council on Wednesday where Allies discussed the incursions and denounced what it called Russia’s ‘reckless’ behaviour.
Denmark, France, Germany and the U.K. are among the nations who will be contributing assets to Eastern Sentry. The British contribution will see Royal Air Force Typhoons flying air defence missions to counter aerial threats, including drones. They will be joined by three French Rafales, two Danish F-16s, and four German Eurofighters.
Denmark has also pledged to contribute an air defence frigate to the new initiative. Its Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen commented: “This shows what NATO is all about. A provocation against one is a provocation against all. So when Russian drones violate Polish airspace, Denmark is of course ready to help.”
U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey added: “Russia’s actions are reckless, dangerous, and unprecedented. They only serve to strengthen the unity of NATO. Just as we stand with Ukraine, we will stand with our Polish NATO allies in the face of Russian aggression.
“The U.K. is fully committed to playing its part in Eastern Sentry, increasing our military presence on NATO’s eastern flank even further.”
A NATO press statement has also indicated Eastern Sentry “will involve a range of Allied assets and feature both traditional capabilities and novel technologies.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte remarked: “What happened on Wednesday was not an isolated incident. Russia’s recklessness in the air along our eastern flank is increasing in frequency… This is why we have forward land forces deployed in eight countries, with contributions from every ally supporting these contingents, and plans in place to scale up our presence if and when required.”
- You can read more details on the NATO Shape website, the Danish Ministry of Defence website and the U.K. Government website