French aviators with Mirage F-1CR fighter jets took over the patrol of the Baltic airspace from Danish Air Force.
The official ceremony at the Aviation Base in Šiauliai, northern Lithuania, was attended by top officers of the Lithuanian Defense Ministry and Air Forces of Lithuania and France, French ambassadors to Estonia and Latvia, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said.
"Knowing that you are a member of a large family and are not left alone is a special feeling, which is well understood by those who have survived many difficulties throughout their histories," Defense Vice-Minister Marijus Velička said.
"The mission is the best way for NATO to show the importance the Alliance attaches to the region. All countries serving in the mission demonstrate it through common efforts. This is an example of wise defense," Deputy Commander of Air Defense and Air Operations for the French Air Force Major General Dominique de Longvillier said.
According to the press release, France will be providing equipment and personnel for the Baltic air-policing mission for the fourth time.
The French Air Force deployed four Mirage F-1CR fighter jets and 80 troops from Mont de Marsan Air Base in southern France. Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Vinot-Prefontaine will head the French Air Contingent for the first two months of the rotation.
Apart from Denmark and France, the NATO air-policing mission in the Baltic states has already been conducted by Belgium, Denmark, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States, Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Turkey, and Germany. Italy, the Netherlands, and Hungary have already made formal announcements about their decision to participate in the Baltic air-policing mission in the future.
By a decision of the North Atlantic Council in February 2012, NATO’s air-policing mission in the Baltic states was extended indefinitely.
