Spanish Hornets continue NATO’s enhanced Air Policing (eAP) mission in Romania
August 10, 2024
Eight Spanish Air Force F-18 Hornets and 150 military personnel have arrived at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania to commence their four-month NATO enhanced Air Policing (eAP) deployment. The Spanish Air Force fighters will undertake NATO Air Policing missions, patrolling and training alongside the Romanian Air Force.
Enhanced Air Policing is part of NATO’s assurance measures introduced in 2014, after Russia’s illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. The Alliance implemented these assurance measures to demonstrate the collective resolve of Allies, to demonstrate the defensive nature of NATO, and to deter Russia from aggression or the threat of aggression.
Deployments under enhanced Air Policing are planned in advance and rotate among NATO Allies. They ensure collective deterrence and defence, protecting and securing the integrity of NATO’s airspace.
The Spanish F-18 detachment replaced a UK Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon deployment, which returned to the United Kingdom after concluding their four-month rotation.
A certification ceremony was held on August, 6, attended by the Minister of National Defence, Angel Tîlvăr, who said that: “We must remain agile in the face of changes in the security landscape confronting the Alliance, and we must send a strong, unequivocal message to the public; we are united under the umbrella of the largest defence alliance, working together to protect the airspace of NATO’s southeastern flank – a region with a complex security architecture, particularly following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022.”
The ceremony was also attended by the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Gheorghiță Vlad, His Excellency José Antonio Pérez-Solórzano, the Ambassador of Spain to Romania, Lieutenant General Juan Pablo Sánchez de Lara, Commander of the CAOC at Torréjon and Major General Leonard Baraboi, Chief of Staff of the Romanian Air Force.
