By Ian Davis, NATO Watch
NATO will triple its typical number of fighter jets patrolling over the Baltics in May as part of its strengthening of East European defences due to tension with Russia over Ukraine, Reuters reported.
The United States, which currently has responsibility for the four-month rotating air policing mission, will increase the number of NATO aircraft that are usually based in the Baltics from four to 10 F-15s. This will then increase to 12 aircraft in May when Poland takes over responsibility for the mission.
These measures are part of an anticipated 'reinforcement plan' for Central and Eastern European allies that NATO's top military commander, US Air Force General Philip Breedlove, is drawing up. The plan is expected to be ready by 15 April.
Since joining NATO in 2004, other allies have taken turns sending fighter aircraft to protect Baltic airspace since Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania lack fighters of their own.
The 12 aircraft on patrol from 1 May will be: four MiG 29s from Poland; four Typhoons from Britain; and four F-16s from Denmark. A further two F-16s will be on standby in Denmark.
The Baltic air policing mission is also set to add a second air base in Estonia to complement the existing operational centre in Lithuania.
France and Germany have also offered aircraft. France is set to provide four aircraft, either Rafales or Mirages, from the 1 May, but details of the deployment have still to be finalised. The aircraft may instead be deployed to Poland as part of a training mission. The German offer of six Eurofighters for the Baltic mission will probably be deferred until the following four-month period (September to December) when Portugal takes over command of the mission.
France has also provided an AWACS reconnaissance plane to join NATO AWACS aircraft that have been flying over Poland and Romania since March to monitor the situation in Ukraine. The United States and the Netherlands provide refuelling planes for the AWACS, while Turkey has also offered a tanker aircraft that is expected to join the operation soon.
Meanwhile, Moscow responded to the NATO decision to limit Russian diplomats' access to its headquarters by saying that the alliance was trapped in Cold War thinking. Four-way talks between Russia, Ukraine, the US and EU are scheduled for next week in an attempt to defuse the tense situation.