NATO converts Baltic air policing into full air‑defence mission

At the NATO summit in Ankara, Alliance leaders approved the transformation of the Baltic Air Policing mission – which has operated since 2004 over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – into a permanent air‑defence task. The change gives NATO fighter pilots a broader mandate, including the authority to destroy aircraft or drones that pose a threat without waiting for separate political clearance.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said the upgraded mission will provide “greater flexibility and faster response to air threats.” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna and former Estonian Air Force chief Jaak Tarien highlighted that the new structure will clarify command chains and reduce ambiguity over who is responsible for reacting to incursions. The Ämari air base in Estonia will become a fully operational NATO air‑defence hub, though the number of permanently stationed aircraft is not expected to rise sharply.

The mission, which previously involved identifying and escorting Russian military aircraft near the Baltic states and, more recently, shooting down stray Ukrainian drones, will now be able to engage hostile targets directly, including Russian fighter jets, if they are judged to endanger the airspace of the three Baltic members.