took place on Friday, 1 August, at the air base Amari, in Estonia, the ceremony that marked the handover of responsibility between the Portuguese AIR FORCE and the Task Force Air of the’Italian Air Force within the scope of the NATO enhanced Air Policing (eAP), officially launching the operation Baltic Eagle III am the guardian of the Baltic airspace for the next four months.
“Italy's assumption of command of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission confirms the Defence's strategic commitment to collective security on the Alliance's eastern flank, a concrete contribution to the deterrence and defence of the Euro-Atlantic borders. The launch of Operation Baltic Eagle III is yet another sign of the professionalism and reliability that our Armed Forces continue to demonstrate within NATO. My best wishes for their work go to the men and women of the Air Force deployed in Ämari.”, he declared Secretary of State for Defence, Guido Crosetto.
The ceremony took place in the presence of Supreme Interforce Operations Commander (COVI), Corps General Giovanni Maria Iannucci, which highlighted the value of the operation and the importance of cooperation between allied countries.
With the start of the operation Baltic Eagle III, the Task force Air of the’Italian Air Force, with aircraft F-35 and highly specialised personnel, assumes responsibility for Baltic airspace surveillance. This is the third Italian participation in the mission in Estonia, following those in 2018 and 2021.
The Task Force Air – 32nd Wing will be responsible for air patrol and interception operations under the coordination of Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Uedem, in Germany.
Italy confirms its central role in collective defence and deterrence strategy along the eastern flank, in an international context characterised by renewed tensions and growing attention to security in the Baltic region.
