NATO mobilized the largest Allied airpower presence recorded this year in two training missions carried out between the Baltic states and Romania.
NATO conducted a large-scale air military exercise on March 4 and 5, 2026, bringing together forces from several Allied nations along the Alliance’s eastern flank. The operations were part of the Eastern Sentry initiative, led by the Allied Air Command (AIRCOM), aimed at strengthening air defense and demonstrating joint response capabilities in the face of potential threats.
According to the Alliance, this was the largest Allied airpower collaboration of the year within Flexible Deterrent Option (FDO) operations — deterrence-focused activities carefully designed to demonstrate unity and military readiness.
C-A2AD training in Romania
The first mission took place on March 4 near Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania. The exercise focused on Counter Anti-Access/Area Denial (C-A2AD) operations designed to train Allied forces to neutralize enemy air defense systems and ensure freedom of operation in contested airspace.
Participating aircraft included:
- Mirage 2000D fighters from France
- Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Germany
- F/A-18 Hornet aircraft from Spain
- F-16 fighters from Romania
Germany currently maintains a detachment at the Romanian base to support NATO’s enhanced Air Policing mission, while Spain uses the location to train the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept, which emphasizes more dispersed and flexible air operations.
The mission also included support aircraft such as a French A330 MRTT and a Spanish A400M configured for aerial refueling. Romanian ground-based systems participated by providing realistic threat scenarios.
The entire operation was coordinated by NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Torrejón, Spain.
Multi-domain exercise in the Baltic region
The following day, March 5, operations shifted north to cover the region from the Baltic Sea to Finland. The exercise used the F2T2 (Find, Fix, Track and Target) concept, which involves locating, identifying, tracking, and neutralizing a target in a complex operational environment.
The mission brought together military assets from eight NATO countries and integrated capabilities from multiple domains:
- aircraft
- ground systems
- cyber capabilities
- space assets
Participating assets included:
- Mirage 2000D fighters from France
- F/A-18 Hornet aircraft from Finland
- A330 MRTT aerial refueling aircraft from France and the multinational MRTT unit
Air control and combat centers from Poland, Estonia, and Finland provided ground-based command and control, while ground-based air defense systems from Estonia, the United Kingdom, and the United States also took part in the training.
The Canadian Joint Operations Command contributed Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
This mission was coordinated by NATO’s CAOC in Uedem, Germany, responsible for controlling the airspace across the northern region.
NATO’s new air defense strategy
The Eastern Sentry initiative is part of NATO’s expanded surveillance activity known as enhanced Vigilance Activity (eVA), representing a new model for the Alliance’s air defense posture.
Rather than relying solely on fixed bases or permanent patrols, the concept focuses on a dynamic and distributed posture, allowing air forces to move rapidly across the entire eastern flank — from the Baltic states and Poland to the Black Sea.
According to NATO, this approach increases situational awareness, improves coordination between Allies, and strengthens the ability to respond quickly to emerging threats.
The two missions carried out in March primarily aimed to:
- increase interoperability between Allied forces
- refine operational tactics and procedures
- integrate multi-domain operations in complex scenarios
Through these efforts, the Alliance seeks to strengthen its integrated air and missile defense posture and ensure the continuous protection of member states’ airspace.
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Source and images: NATO. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
