Ramstein Alloy military exercise in the Baltic airspace

From 26 to 27 June, the Baltic States will host the Ramstein Alloy international air exercise, organised by NATO Air Command in cooperation with the National Armed Forces.

During the exercise, allied air forces from the UK, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Turkey and Germany will conduct rapid alert response exercises including loss of communications, combat search and rescue, slow aircraft interception, close air support and aerial refuelling scenarios.

The exercise, organised by NATO Air Command Ramstein, Germany, and conducted by the NATO Joint Air Operations Centre in Udem, contributes to strengthening the presence of Allies and partner nations in the Baltic region in the Alliance's airspace over the Baltic States.

"Ramstein Alloy is a continuation of the Baltic Region Training Event (BRTE), which has been held regularly since 2008.

NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have been patrolling the airspace of the Baltic States on a rotational basis since their accession to the Alliance in March 2004. Since 2004, patrols have been conducted from Zokniai Air Base in Lithuania, and since 2014, a support mission has also been conducted from Emari Air Base in Estonia.

In 2024, the reconstruction of the Emari base will start, during which the airspace of the Baltic States will be covered from Latvia and Lithuania. Once the reconstruction is complete, the Allied fighters will return to Estonia.

Such exercises reflect NATO's collective defence, demonstrating the high level of readiness, interoperability and cooperation among the Alliance's Member States and partners.  In addition, air and ground-based integrated air and missile defence demonstrates how NATO allies and partners are protecting the eastern flank and strengthening regional security.