NATO's involvement in the fight against ISIS will weaken airspace control over Eastern Europe
NATO’s participation in the fight against the so-called Islamic State will lead to a loosening of NATO airspace control in eastern and central Europe, the DPA news agency reported on Saturday, August 27, citing sources in military circles.
According to the agency, the alliance does not have enough AWACS radio detection aircraft systems to comply with US demands to continue the fight against the so-called Islamic State, without reducing activity in the other areas. Therefore, military experts recommend reallocating up to 720 AWACS flight hours, currently assigned to the mission in eastern Europe, to an operation against the so-called Islamic State.
Currently, NATO does not consider the control of the airspace of eastern partners, such as Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, (increased because of the conflict over Ukraine and strained relations with Russia), to be as important as the fight against the so-called Islamic State, the DPA says. In addition, this control could be partially compensated for by using ground monitoring stations, military sources say.