�?� NATO to buy 1,000 Patriot missiles to enhance Allies�?? air defences
�?� Video: Meet Lotte, the bomb-sniffing dog from the UK
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
NATO�??s Support and Procurement Agency will support a coalition of Allies, including Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain to procure up to 1,000 Patriot missiles to strengthen their air defences amid Russia�??s war against Ukraine. The contract will expand the European production of the missiles, enhancing supply and ensuring the replenishment of Allied stockpiles.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
From 1 January 2024, the United Kingdom�??s 7th Light Mechanised Brigade will lead NATO�??s rapid reaction force, placing thousands of soldiers on standby and ready to deploy within days. NATO�??s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) was created after Russia�??s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and was deployed for the first time for collective defence of the Alliance after Russia�??s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The leadership position is rotated annually among Allies. The UK takes over from Germany, which led the force in 2023.
|
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
In 2023, NATO air forces across Europe scrambled well over 300 times to intercept Russian military aircraft approaching Alliance airspace, with most intercepts occurring over the Baltic Sea. NATO has standing air-policing missions that calls for Allied jets to scramble when there are signs of Russian military planes approaching Allied airspace in unpredictable ways.
|
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
Meet Lotte, a 'High Assurance Search Dog' who is getting ready to serve for the NATO Response force (NRF), the Alliance�??s on-call crisis response unit.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
