Common defence of the European sky

The initiative of a joint air defence system has been championed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who sees it as “a security gain for all of Europe”.  In a speech delivered in Prague in August, he said that such system would be more economical and efficient than national systems. The idea was welcomed especially by East European countries, which are concerned about a possible escalation of the conflict started by the Russian Federation in the neighbouring Ukraine.

The European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) entered a new stage on Thursday, when 14 NATO countries, Romania included, and Finland signed a letter of intent with a view to carrying out this project. The signatory countries plan to first purchase Patriot medium-range defence systems produced by the United States, and then the Arrow 3 system, manufactured by Israel and the US, designed to neutralise longer-range threats such as intercontinental missiles and even satellites. Installing these systems in several countries would provide complete and efficient defence of the European airspace.

Costs would also be smaller for each participating country, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said in Brussels: “It aims to enable European allies to procure these much needed capabilities better and faster, and to optimize their costs. It should also bring synergy among allies with similar urgent requirements, covering the full spectrum of the air and missile defence needs. It should promote interoperability and their integration with each other and with NATO’s integrated air and missile defence. It is an important effort to generate more resources and to ensure that the needed capabilities are procured and deployed quickly.”

The new assets, “fully interoperable and seamlessly integrated within the NATO air and missile defence, would significantly enhance our ability to defend the Alliance from all air and missile threats," Mircea Geoana explained.  The signing of the letter of intent by Romania, alongside Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and Finland will facilitate further procedures. Any other state may join the European Sky Shield Initiative, as the project takes shape. (EE)