Posted on 03/26/2010 8:02:56 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Colonel Sebastien Vallette swings back in his desk chair, minutes after landing his Mirage fighter on a Soviet-era runway.
A detailed map on his wall shows Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, flanked by bold warnings: "Do Not Enter Russian Airspace".
For six years, NATO allies have taken turns patrolling the airspace of the three Baltic states, minnows which won freedom from the crumbling Soviet Union in 1991 and have testy ties with Moscow.
Vallette and six other French flyers under his command are the current eyes in the sky.
"The point about airspace sovereignty is to know who's doing what in it," Vallette told AFP at Zokniai, a huge, mostly-mothballed facility in northern Lithuania where 20,000 Red Army troops were once based.
"It's a combination of deterrence, protection, prevention and assistance," he added.
Vallette acknowledged Baltic history is "complicated", but rejected suggestions his job is about warning the resurgent Kremlin, which only withdrew its forces in 1994.
"Everyone wants to put Russia in focus, but there isn't a special focus," he insisted. "All countries conduct surveillance in their national airspace. There isn't a concept of a particular threat."
The Baltic trio joined NATO on March 29, 2004. The air patrols began immediately.
Most members of the 28-nation, trans-Atlantic alliance cover their own skies. But Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are small and cash-strapped.
"It's not a good idea to have a void airspace above NATO territory. It's a matter of principle. Wherever it is. Voids are always a temptation," said Estonian Defence Minister Jaak Aaviksoo.
The trio's total population is 6.8 million, and their professional military, 20,500. They have 580 troops in Afghanistan, winning praise from NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen for "punching above their weight".
(Excerpt) Read more at expatica.com ...
when did France rejoin NATO? I thought DeGaulle pulled them out in the sixties.
because they want to create a European army led by France: you can see that now a year later in libya, why the french are so irritated at the Germans for not subordinating themselves to France
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.