Belgian Defence’s participation in the Enhanced Air Policing Mission (EAPM) in Estonia ended on March 31. A day later, the four F-16s and support personnel were deployed at NATO’s request for the deterrent mission as part of Enhanced Vigilance Activity (eVA), from the same airbase in Amari, Estonia.
This eleventh participation in the Baltic Airspace Surveillance Mission began in early December last year. The detachment was on 24-hour alert as a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) to conduct surveillance and air policing patrols.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the mission of the detachment had changed significantly. The workload had increased and it had received a small reinforcement of personnel, as F-16s had also been patrolling over Poland since February 24 to monitor the integrity and security of NATO borders.
It was also at the request of NATO that the detachment was then deployed in a new mission: Enhanced Vigilance Activities (eVA). The main purpose of this mission is to demonstrate deterrence and solidarity among allies. This mission began on April 1 and will last four months. The detachment will carry out unarmed training missions as well as armed eVA missions. They will also be ready for interceptions in the air if necessary.
By participating in this mission, Belgium shows that it shows solidarity and remains a reliable partner within NATO. In this way, Belgium also tries to guarantee security on its territory by ensuring stability beyond its borders, with its partners.
April 1, 2022
Source: BelDefNews