The Allied Airpower Podcast

Space is woven into the way NATO operates: the navigation that guides Allied forces, the communications that connect them, and the missile warning that helps commanders understand a developing threat. Much of that support happens beyond our view. Its effects reach across the Alliance.

In this episode of The Allied Airpower Podcast, we feature the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies’ interview with U.S. Space Force Colonel Jonathan Whitaker, chief of staff of NATO’s Space Theatre Component, co-located with Allied Air Command at Ramstein, Germany. Speaking during his visit to the Marshall Center, Colonel Whitaker explores how space is changing military operations, why commanders increasingly need space expertise, and how nations with different capabilities can contribute to a shared mission.

He describes recognising space as a front in its own right, where access can be contested and capabilities can provide an operational advantage. He discusses emerging satellite architectures intended to strengthen missile warning and tactical communications, connecting developments in orbit to the practical needs of forces below. Those possibilities give commanders a reason to bring space specialists into their planning and exercises.

Listen to the full conversation for Colonel Whitaker’s perspective on NATO’s growing space mission, the value of multinational cooperation, and the opportunities ahead.

Recorded Monday, 28 September 2026.

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When the Alpha Scramble order came, Lt Luis had a job to do. The adrenaline could wait.

In this episode of The Allied Airpower Podcast, Jose “Houdini” Davis speaks with Lt Luis about his first operational interception, the preparation behind it, and the people who make NATO’s Baltic Air Defence mission possible.

An Alpha Scramble is a real-world activation of NATO’s alert forces. For Spanish Lt Luis, it meant getting airborne to intercept, identify, and escort a Russian aircraft flying in international airspace. Procedures practiced repeatedly in training now guided an operational mission. His attention stayed on the tasks ahead; only after returning could he reflect on reaching a goal he had imagined since childhood.

Much of the conversation turns to the work behind that response. Maintenance, weapons, operations, communications, and support personnel keep the aircraft ready, while Allied hosts in the Baltics help sustain the deployment. Lt Luis describes the people supporting him as his “angels.” His first interception was an achievement shared by the whole Allied detachment.

The Spanish Ambar Tactical Air Detachment is currently on NATO’s Eastern Flank conducting the Air Defense mission, alongside the Turkish Air Force and their Baltic hosts. Across NATO’s Eastern Flank, Italian Eurofighters are deployed to Lithuania; Turkish F-16s to Estonia; and Spanish fighters to Romania and Estonia, as part of NATO’s robust Air Defence posture, protecting every inch of NATO Airspace.

That reliance on others also shapes what NATO means to him. Through multinational exercises, Allied pilots learn how one another’s Air Forces work, approach decisions, and prepare for missions. They build relationships alongside their operational skills.

As Lt Luis explains, one of NATO’s most valuable contributions is building trust before it is needed. That trust, developed through training and cooperation, supports the collective responsibility of defending NATO skies.

Recorded Monday, 28 September 2026.

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A passenger aircraft loses radio contact with air traffic controllers. Elsewhere, a hostile missile launches towards Allied territory. These situations demand different responses, but both underscore why NATO’s Air Defence posture must be able to detect, assess, and respond to threats together.

As a defensive Alliance, NATO brings together radars, fighter jets, ground-based air and missile defence systems, and Allied warships through its Integrated Air and Missile Defence — or IAMD. Working across national borders, this network helps protect Allied territory and populations in peacetime, crisis, and conflict.

When a civilian aircraft stops communicating, ground-based and airborne radars can track its movements while fighter jets scramble to investigate. Once alongside, pilots can visually identify the aircraft, assess the situation, and, if necessary, guide it to safety.

An incoming missile requires a different response. Sensors on land, at sea, in the air, or in space can detect the threat, while NATO command posts assess its trajectory and determine an appropriate interception option. Complementary defence systems provide multiple ways to engage different threats, with ground-based systems, warships, and fighter aircraft each contributing to the wider defence.

The strength of this approach lies in integration: connecting detection, decision-making, and interception so that individual capabilities work as part of a coordinated whole.

But the threats continue to evolve.

Drones range from large military aircraft to small commercial platforms capable of causing damage and disruption, particularly when deployed in groups. Hypersonic weapons travelling at more than five times the speed of sound, with the ability to manoeuvre during flight, present further tracking and interception challenges. NATO’s new Air Defence framework addresses these modern challenges: From Air Policing to Air Defence, NATO is prepared and postured to tackle these challenges as Allies are developing capabilities to address these threats while adapting the defences already in place.

For more than six decades, NATO’s Air Defence has helped safeguard Allied skies. Its purpose remains constant: maintaining vigilance, responding to threats, and protecting the people and territory of the Alliance: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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Eject! Eject! Eject! In this episode of The Allied Airpower Podcast, Jose ‘Houdini’ Davis sits down with Danish Lieutenant Colonel Martin ‘AMI’ Friis for a conversation about life in the cockpit and what it takes to become a NATO fighter pilot.

AMI recalls a 1996 departure on a routine training flight: Sitting behind a student pilot in an F-16, he received a warning from the control tower: their engine was on fire. Looking over his shoulder, he saw orange surrounding the aircraft. Within seconds, he ordered both pilots to eject. Both survived; AMI was flying again the following week.

That experience gives weight to his explanation of fighter flying. Pilots must stay ahead of the aircraft, managing communications, scanning their surroundings, and making tactical decisions. Training makes flying second nature.

With a career spanning around four decades, including seventeen years flying the F-16, AMI has served as a squadron commander, an instructor at NATO’s Tactical Leadership Programme, and Denmark’s chief of aviation safety. Today, in Allied Air Command’s A3 Operations Support Branch, he helps turn NATO plans into major exercises, including Ramstein Flag: bringing cockpit experience to the preparation of Allied forces.

The conversation also explores the future of air warfare. Drawing on Ukraine, AMI discusses identifying airborne threats and selecting the right capabilities to defeat them. And while modern weapons favour engagements beyond visual range, he explains why dogfighting remains a skill pilots must retain.

For AMI, shared training builds the trust that allows Allied aviators to fly and fight together. His childhood memory of the fortified border between East and West Germany brings that mission back to its human purpose: defending “our family, our kids, our neighbors and friends.”

Recorded Tuesday, 19 May 2026.

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These five stories show how NATO is strengthening Air & Space power through faster integration, persistent readiness and closer cooperation between Allied forces.

In Iceland, Belgian F-16s took over NATO’s Air Defence mission at Keflavik, supporting Arctic Sentry and the Alliance’s broader move toward a more unified Integrated Air and Missile Defence posture. The deployment reflects a shift away from traditional Air Policing alone toward a wider approach designed to address a broader range of threats.

That same emphasis on interoperability was visible in Estonia, where Spanish EF-18M fighters, Turkish F-16s and Estonian ground crews trained together at Ämari. The activity focused on practical coordination, from refuelling and emergency procedures to familiarisation flights, helping deployed forces integrate quickly with host-nation and Allied personnel.

In Romania, Spain’s Paznic Detachment completed 30 days of continuous Quick Reaction Alert duty, carrying out 15 Alpha Scrambles. One of those alerts led to the interception and neutralisation of a drone that had entered Romanian airspace. Alongside these operational missions, the detachment continued multinational training, Agile Combat Employment activity and air-to-air refuelling, reinforcing its ability to respond rapidly along NATO’s eastern flank.

Further north, representatives from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden met at Combined Air Operations Centre Bodø to advance the Nordic Airpower Concept. With Finland and Sweden now part of NATO, the five Nordic countries are working more closely to align their Air Forces, improve regional cooperation and strengthen NATO’s northern posture.

The space domain was also part of this wider picture. From Andøya Spaceport in Norway, Isar Aerospace successfully placed satellites into orbit, adding to Europe’s commercial launch capability. While the mission was not a NATO operation, it highlighted the importance of resilient civilian and commercial space infrastructure to the Alliance. NATO increasingly depends on reliable access to space-based services for communications, navigation, surveillance and situational awareness.

Taken together, these updates point to a more connected NATO Air and Space posture. Whether through fighter deployments, Quick Reaction Alert, Nordic coordination or commercial access to orbit, the focus is on ensuring Allied forces and supporting systems can operate together, respond quickly and remain resilient across the Euro-Atlantic area.

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In this episode of The Allied Airpower Podcast, Jose “Houdini” Davis takes listeners inside Ramstein Flag, one of NATO Allied Air Command’s most important large-scale air exercises.

Ramstein Flag is not just about aircraft, bases, or hardware. It is about NATO practicing how to fight as one air component in an Article 5 scenario — across nations, across geography, and under pressure.

The episode explains how Ramstein Flag builds on the Flag-series tradition of realistic high-end combat training, while giving it a NATO collective defence focus. The episode traces the exercise from its first edition in Greece in 2024, through the 2025 edition in the Netherlands, and into Ramstein Flag 2026.

This year’s exercise marks a major step forward, bringing together 18 Allied nations, more than 200 aircraft, and over 20 operating locations across Europe. Live-flying activity in NATO’s northern and southern Joint Operations Areas is supported by synthetic training, testing whether the Alliance can coordinate Airpower across a broad theatre.

The episode also makes clear that Ramstein Flag 2026 is not only about Agile Combat Employment. ACE is part of the picture, but the broader focus includes Integrated Air and Missile Defence, Counter Anti-Access/Area Denial, and seamless data and information sharing among Allies.

Above all, Ramstein Flag is about cohesion. Aircraft matter, but so do maintainers, tankers, command links, airspace procedures, sensor feeds, and host-nation support. Together, these pieces form Allied Airpower, which allows NATO to generate, sustain, and synchronize combat power.

Recorded Wednesday, 5 June 2026.

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In this special documentary episode of The Allied Airpower Podcast, Jose “Houdini” Davis takes listeners inside NATO Airpower through a documentary produced by NATO’s talented multimedia team based in Brussels.

Filmed across the Alliance and partially during Ramstein Flag 25, the episode breaks down one of NATO’s most complex missions: how Allied Air Forces would secure the skies in crisis or conflict. The documentary follows the key pieces of that mission across Europe: NATO AWACS at Geilenkirchen, tanker operations at Eindhoven, fighter aircraft in the Netherlands, and Wild Weasel F-16 crews at Spangdahlem Air Base.

The episode explains that air superiority is not just about fighter jets. It requires seeing the battlespace, suppressing hostile air defences, coordinating aircraft from multiple nations, keeping those aircraft fuelled, and adapting to new threats such as drones and one-way attack systems.

Major themes are cohesion and interoperability. Inside NATO’s E-3A AWACS, multinational crews work side by side, using shared standards, training, and trust to build a common picture of the airspace. That same teamwork carries through the fighter, tanker, and air defence missions that make Allied airpower possible.

The documentary also highlights the danger and importance of air superiority and the SEAD mission — pilots trained to go in first, draw out enemy air defence radars, and suppress the systems that threaten Allied aircraft. From there, the episode moves through fighter integration, air-to-air refuelling, and the growing challenge of defending against drones at scale.

This episode is ultimately about more than aircraft. It is about the people, planning, training, and trust behind Allied air defence — the system that allows NATO to secure the skies 24/7, 365 days a year.

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Across these seven updates, NATO’s air and maritime activity in May 2026 points to a clear operational theme: the Alliance is strengthening its ability to operate as an integrated, distributed, and resilient force across multiple regions at once. From the Mediterranean to the Baltic, from Sweden and Finland to Norway and Greece, the focus is not only on presence, but on readiness, interoperability, Agile Combat Employment, ISR, air defence, and multi-domain integration.

That theme was visible in Neptune Strike 2026, led by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO across the Western and Central Mediterranean Sea. The activity brought together carrier strike groups, amphibious strike groups, land-based forces, air assets, and maritime forces to demonstrate NATO’s ability to project deterrence across the Alliance’s southern and south-eastern flanks. AIRCOM contributed through integrated air operations involving Royal Air Force Typhoon Eurofighters deployed to Romania and Romanian F-16s. Their work alongside forces from Albania, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Montenegro, Portugal, and Türkiye showed how routine assurance missions such as Eastern Sentry can connect directly to wider NATO readiness, reinforcing the idea that air policing, maritime strike, and multi-domain activity are increasingly part of one defensive framework.

The same message carried into Lithuania, where around 100 French Air and Space Force aviators deployed to Šiauliai Air Base for NATO’s Baltic Air Policing 71 mission. Flying four Rafales, the French detachment took over from Spain and joined Romanian and Portuguese F-16 detachments in safeguarding the Baltic states’ airspace. The mission combined operational readiness with Allied training, including air defence drills between French Rafales and Romanian F-16s over the Baltic Sea. The central point was interoperability: not only having compatible equipment, but understanding how other Allied crews think, communicate, maneuver, and respond under pressure.

Sweden’s AURORA 26 expanded that focus from air policing into national defence, reinforcement, and distributed operations. As Sweden’s first Aurora exercise as a NATO Ally, it brought about 18,000 participants from 13 countries together across Sweden, the Baltic Sea, and Gotland. Swedish JAS 39 Gripens, Dutch AH-64 Apache helicopters, air defence assets, airlift platforms, and air-ground integration all supported the wider joint scenario. A key airpower contribution came through Agile Combat Employment (ACE), with Swedish and Finnish personnel conducting aircraft cross-servicing on JAS 39 Gripens and F/A-18 Hornets at Kalmar civilian airport in Sweden. The exercise also included aeromedical evacuation training with Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, and U.S. teams, as well as counter-UAS training informed by Ukrainian drone experience. Together, these elements showed how NATO’s newer members and long-standing Allies are building practical readiness for dispersed, contested, and multi-domain operations.

In Greece, NATO Tiger Meet 2026 focused on the human and tactical side of Allied air integration. Hosted by 335 Squadron of the Hellenic Air Force at Araxos Air Base, Greece, the exercise brought together aircrew, maintainers, and support personnel from Belgium, Czechia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland. Aircraft included F-16 Fighting Falcons, Eurofighters, Gripens, Tornados, Hornets, Venom helicopters, and HH.101 helicopters. The exercise blended tradition with operational relevance, giving participating units a demanding multinational environment in which to refine tactics, build trust, and adapt to threats such as drones, missiles, and contested airspace. Its importance lies in the relationships it builds: Allied personnel who train together in peacetime are better prepared to operate together in crisis.

Finland’s Imminent Field 26 showed Agile Combat Employment (ACE) in especially concrete terms. Conducted from May 18 to 22 at the Jokioinen landing site on a closed stretch of Highway 2, the exercise trained Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and other aircraft to operate away from their home bases. For the first time, Italy brought F-35B Lightning II fighters to the exercise, using their short take-off and vertical landing capabilities to rehearse operations from austere and decentralized locations. The Finnish-Italian activity demonstrated how NATO air forces are preparing to disperse aircraft, personnel, and support infrastructure to complicate targeting, reduce vulnerability, and keep generating combat power if main bases are threatened.

Norway then hosted a major ISR milestone with the first NISRF RQ-4D Phoenix operations from Norwegian territory. On May 21, a NATO RQ-4D Phoenix remotely piloted aircraft arrived at Ørland, marking the first time the system had operated from Norway and only the third time it had operated outside Italian Air Force Base Sigonella. The deployment was tied to Agile Combat Employment and demonstrated NISRF’s ability to deliver ISR effects from dispersed locations in support of NATO operations. For an Alliance increasingly focused on wide-area awareness, rapid decision-making, and distributed operations, the ability to move high-end ISR platforms beyond their usual operating base is a significant step.

Finally, the May 25 update on Eastern Sentry brought many of these themes together over the Baltic region. On May 21, Allied Airpower conducted a high-end training event focused on Multi-Domain Integration and Counter Anti-Access/Area Denial capabilities (C-A2AD). Led by NATO CAOC Bodø in Norway as the key command-and-control node, the activity included Romanian F-16s, French Rafales and Mirage 2000D aircraft, French A330 MRTT tankers, and a NATO RQ-4D Global Hawk from NISRF. The training emphasized tactical command and control, rapid information sharing, and Find, Fix, Track, and Target (F2T2) processes. It also highlighted NATO’s shift from air policing toward a more flexible air defence posture along the eastern flank.

Taken together, these stories show NATO Airpower operating across several layers at once. In the Mediterranean, Neptune Strike demonstrated maritime-air integration and Alliance-wide deterrence. In Lithuania, French Rafales reinforced the Baltic Air Policing mission while deepening tactical cooperation with Romania and Portugal. In Sweden and Finland, AURORA 26 and Imminent Field 26 tested dispersed operations, cross-servicing, airlift, counter-UAS lessons, and ACE in NATO’s northern Joint Operations Area (JOA). In Greece, NATO Tiger Meet strengthened the trust and habits that make multinational air operations work. In Norway, NISRF proved that NATO-owned ISR assets can operate more flexibly from dispersed locations. And under Eastern Sentry, Allied air forces practiced the kind of high-end, multi-domain air defence activity that connects all of these efforts into a wider deterrence posture.

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In this episode of The Allied Airpower Podcast, Jose “Houdini” Davis sits down with Lieutenant General Juan Pablo Sánchez de Lara, Commander of NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre-Torrejón, during an in-person visit to Torrejón Air Base in Spain.

CAOC Torrejón is one of NATO Allied Air Command’s key operational command and control nodes, helping task, coordinate, and execute Allied air missions across peacetime, crisis, and conflict. For General Sánchez de Lara, that mission is deeply personal. A Spanish fighter pilot with more than 3,500 flying hours, his career has taken him from the F-5 and Mirage F-1, to NATO operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, staff work at SHAPE, command of the Spanish Air Force Academy, the Canary Islands Air Command, and now command of one of NATO’s most important air operations centres.

The conversation traces the evolution of NATO Airpower from Cold War-era air policing to today’s broader air defence challenge. General Sánchez de Lara explains that NATO must now be ready for a wider spectrum of threats — from traditional military aircraft to UAVs and one-way attack drones — while integrating capabilities across nations, domains, and command structures.

That makes Eastern Sentry especially relevant. The episode frames NATO’s enhanced Vigilance Activity, Eastern Sentry, as part of a wider shift in posture and mindset: deterrence today depends on speed, integration, trust, and the ability to move from peacetime to crisis or conflict when required.

A major theme throughout the discussion is integration. For General Sánchez de Lara, the first word in Integrated Air and Missile Defence is the most important one. Integration is not only about technology; it is about trained people, resilient systems, shared doctrine, national trust, and the ability to make timely decisions when time matters most.

The episode wraps up with a more personal and human look at the General behind the command. From fighters to football, the conversation closes with an authentic exchange about Spain, family, what is ‘real’ football, and the friendly rivalries that make Allied relationships real. It is a reminder that NATO is built not only on capabilities and command structures, but also on trust, humor, and the relationships that make multinational service work.

Recorded Tuesday, 21 April 2026.

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Across these five updates, Allied Air Command’s spring 2026 message is clear: NATO is moving from a primarily reactive air policing posture toward a more integrated, distributed, and deliberately prepared air defence model. The emphasis is not on one isolated activity, but on how command leadership, multinational planning, training infrastructure, experimentation, and large-scale exercises all connect into a single defensive posture across the Euro-Atlantic area.

That strategic direction was most explicit at the first NATO Air Chiefs’ Symposium of 2026, hosted by Allied Air Command in Ramstein. Built around the theme “Operationalizing the Shift to Air Defence,” the symposium brought together Air Chiefs and senior representatives from 27 NATO nations and 5 partner nations to align national contributions, refine strategy, and discuss how air and space power must evolve for a more contested environment. The discussion centered on command and control, Integrated Air and Missile Defence, the reinforcement of the eastern flank through Eastern Sentry, and the role of Agile Combat Employment in resilience and sustainment. The core takeaway was that NATO’s air enterprise is not standing still; it is adapting its posture, its command arrangements, and its force employment model to meet a higher-threat battlespace.

That shift from strategy to execution was visible in the first Flexible Deterrent Options led by CAOC Bodø under Eastern Sentry activities. Working with CAOC Uedem, the Norwegian-based command helped direct three consecutive operations across the Alliance’s northern and Baltic regions, including a major mission in Finnish airspace focused on degrading anti-access and area-denial threats and securing air superiority. French, Swedish, Finnish, Portuguese, Estonian, Romanian, Czech, and NATO assets all featured across the different iterations, alongside tankers, command-and-reporting centres, airborne early warning, and surface-based air defence. What stands out here is not just the number of nations involved, but the type of integration being exercised: multinational, multi-domain operations designed to prove that Allied forces can scale quickly, share the burden, and function as a unified defensive system under pressure.

The same logic runs through the Romania counter-drone event conducted in support of Eastern Sentry. Hosted at the Capu Midia Training Range in Romania during Exercise Eastern Phoenix 26, the activity tested how layered counter-uncrewed aerial system defences can be built from a mix of sensors, command-and-control networks, electronic warfare tools, and kinetic and non-kinetic effectors. Romania hosted the event in cooperation with NATO Allied Command Transformation. Ukrainian expertise also helped participants measure performance against current battlefield realities rather than idealized scenarios. This matters because low-cost drones and one-way attack systems are no longer peripheral threats; they are central to the modern air defence problem. The event showed NATO trying to shorten the path from technical demonstration to operational usefulness, while connecting experimentation directly to the wider air and missile defence architecture on the eastern flank.

At the institutional level, the 100th Initial Functional Joint Force Air Component Training course at Poggio Renatico shows the longer-term foundation beneath these operational developments. Hosted by the Deployable Air Command and Control Centre in Italy, the course marked more than a symbolic milestone. It reflects over 3,000 NATO officers and non-commissioned officers trained at a single location to operate inside a Joint Force Air Component structure. With participants from 15 nations and representation from Combined Air Operations Centres and national force elements, the course illustrates how NATO’s command-and-control culture is built: common language, common procedures, and a common operational mindset. That kind of institutional preparation is essential if multinational air operations are expected to function seamlessly in crisis or conflict.

Ramstein Flag 2026 then ties these threads together at scale. Scheduled for June 8 to June 19 and led independently by NATO Allied Air Command for the first time, the exercise stretches from Norway to Spain and combines live-fly activity with synthetic training across NATO’s northern and southern Joint Operations Areas. Its priorities: Counter Anti-Access/Area Denial, Integrated Air and Missile Defence, Agile Combat Employment, and improved information sharing. These priorities mirror the themes seen across the other updates. Hosted primarily by Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Spain, and involving 19 nations, more than 150 aircraft, and roughly 150 sorties per day, Ramstein Flag is designed to test NATO’s ability to coordinate distributed air operations in realistic, high-end scenarios. It is not just an exercise for pilots; it is a rehearsal for how the Alliance would synchronize command and control, integrate across domains, and operate under contested conditions.

Taken together, these stories show NATO’s Air & Space power working on several levels at once. Senior leaders are aligning strategy around a more robust air defence posture. Operational headquarters are testing how that posture works in practice across the eastern flank. Experimentation events are accelerating responses to emerging threats such as drones. Training institutions are producing the personnel needed to run multinational air operations. And major exercises are connecting all of that into a broader rehearsal of deterrence and collective defence.

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In this episode of The Allied Airpower Podcast, Kea Alishia Phlatts sits down with Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, during his visit to Allied Air Command at Ramstein, 25-26 March 2026. As NATO’s senior military officer and principal military adviser to the Secretary General, Admiral Dragone sits at the center of the Alliance’s military decision-shaping process, helping translate the collective judgment of thirty-two Chiefs of Defence into advice for NATO’s political leadership.

It is a role that demands perspective, and Admiral Dragone brings plenty of it. Over the course of nearly five decades in uniform, he has served as a helicopter pilot, jet pilot, ship commander, special forces leader, joint commander, Chief of the Italian Navy, and Chief of Defence before assuming NATO’s top military post. In this conversation, he reflects on how those assignments shaped his understanding of leadership: the need to make decisions under pressure, the burden of command when others look to you for direction, and the reality that no service and no nation succeeds alone anymore.

A major theme throughout the episode is trust. Not as a slogan, but as a military necessity. Admiral Dragone describes trust as the essential ingredient that allows Allied nations to operate as one: trusting that capabilities will integrate, that commitments will hold, and that when one nation is exposed, the others will step forward. That idea runs through his reflections on jointness, coalition warfare, and the practical demands of holding an Alliance together across domains, services, and national perspectives.

The episode also offers a clear view of how he thinks about NATO airpower today. Effective airpower, he argues, is no longer just about aircraft and sorties. It is an integrated enterprise built on intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, command and control, readiness, logistics, sustainment, missile defence, and the ability to connect those capabilities across the air, land, and maritime domains. In other words, modern Allied airpower is not simply about what flies. It is about what connects, what endures, and what can respond fast enough to matter.

That makes his discussion of Eastern Sentry especially timely. Speaking about NATO’s enhanced Vigilance Activity along the eastern flank, Admiral Dragone frames it as both reassurance and deterrence: reassurance to Allies that the Alliance is alert, adaptive, and united, and a warning to potential adversaries that NATO can move quickly, integrate rapidly, and defend its populations without hesitation. His message is straightforward: readiness matters, speed matters, integration matters — but none of it works without trust.

This episode is ultimately about more than one senior leader’s career. It is about how Alliance warfare actually holds together at the highest level: through shared values, collective responsibility, and the confidence that thirty-two nations can act together when the moment demands it.

Recorded Thursday, 26 March 2026.

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Across these nine updates, NATO’s air enterprise is doing three things at once: sharpening high-end combat skills, tightening Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) on the eastern flank, and cycling Allied detachments through Baltic and Black Sea operating locations to keep a persistent, credible air policing posture in place.

We start in the United Kingdom with Cobra Warrior 2026-1, the Royal Air Force’s premier tactical air training event. The exercise is designed to push aircrews through complex, high-end warfighting scenarios and culminates months of preparation aimed at keeping Allied air forces integrated, adaptable, and ready. The focus is composite air operations: joint mission planning, tactical execution, and the synchronization of tactics, techniques, and procedures against a peer-competitor threat. Cobra Warrior also doubles as a leadership pipeline, producing mission commanders and functional team leaders able to direct coalition air operations in a resilient, decentralized command environment.

That emphasis on integration and readiness carries into Ramstein, where Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone and the NATO Military Committee visited Allied Air Command on March 25–26, 2026. The visit underscored the strategic importance of Allied air and space power in maintaining deterrence and defence, with a clear theme: trust, cohesion, and reliability among Allies are not “nice-to-haves,” but core strategic assets. The discussions highlighted how NATO secures its airspace—particularly along the eastern flank—through an integrated air and missile defence framework that combines air policing, ballistic missile defence, and vigilance activities such as Eastern Sentry, supported by continuous intelligence and information sharing and effective command and control across the Alliance.

From there, the story shifts to the operational reality of deterrence and assurance: rotational deployments that keep NATO’s defensive posture visible and responsive from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.

Over Lithuania, Romania assumed air policing duties from Šiauliai Air Base, deploying F-16s and roughly 100 personnel as part of Eastern Sentry. This marks Romania’s fourth contribution to Baltic air policing from Lithuania, and the rotation is strengthened by a parallel French Rafale presence operating from the same base. Two detachments, two aircraft types, one mission—continuous monitoring and the ability to intercept aircraft approaching NATO territory when required.

France’s own deployment — four Rafales to Šiauliai — took the lead for NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission as Spain rotated out. It also marked France’s ninth rotation in Lithuania, with additional deployments to Ämari, Estonia reinforcing a consistent pattern: the Alliance sustains air defence through routine, interoperable, multinational detachments that can plug into the same command-and-control architecture on day one.

Estonia saw the same continuity from a different angle. Portugal deployed F-16s to Ämari Air Base to assume Baltic air policing responsibilities from Italy, keeping fighters on quick reaction alert under the Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem, Germany. The Portuguese rotation included four aircraft and up to 95 personnel and marked Portugal’s ninth participation in NATO air policing overall—its second time conducting the mission from Ämari after earlier deployments to Šiauliai.

The handovers matter because they demonstrate what NATO’s air policing model is built to do: sustain uninterrupted coverage, absorb transitions cleanly, and maintain readiness at speed. Italy’s concluding rotation in Estonia is a good example. After two consecutive deployments at Ämari, Italian Eurofighters handed over to Portugal, closing out a demanding stretch that included continuous quick reaction alert, more than 1,300 flying hours, multinational training, air-to-air missions alongside multiple Allies, and activities designed to validate procedures against emerging threats.

Spain’s conclusion in Lithuania followed a similar pattern. After two consecutive rotations at Šiauliai, Spanish F-18M Hornets logged more than 900 flying hours and conducted more than 25 “Alpha Scrambles” in response to unidentified aircraft approaching NATO airspace. The detachment also took part in multiple multinational exercises and executed Agile Combat Employment activities, including cross-servicing with the Lithuanian Air Force: practical, hands-on steps that expand operational flexibility and help sustain dispersed operations. Spain also contributed counter-unmanned aircraft systems protection at Šiauliai and supported air-to-air refuelling with A400M aircraft, reinforcing interoperability and readiness across the region.

In the Black Sea region, Romania’s south-eastern air defence mission saw two major transitions.

First, Germany concluded two consecutive rotations at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, having been deployed since summer 2025. German Eurofighters accumulated more than 600 flying hours and flew over 470 sorties, including more than 25 Alpha Scrambles — maintaining a persistent, responsive presence close to a strategically sensitive air approach. Germany also conducted flexible deterrence options under Eastern Sentry and routinely operated alongside Romanian F-16s, building interoperability in the day-to-day rhythm of real-world vigilance.

Then the Royal Air Force deployed Eurofighter Typhoons to Borcea Air Base to take over the enhanced air policing mission from the outgoing German detachment for the next four months. The deployment—supported by around 200 personnel—paired British quick reaction alert duties with Romanian Air Force cooperation and highlighted Agile Combat Employment in practice: operating from an alternative Romanian location and integrating mission execution through close coordination with NATO’s air command-and-control architecture. The result is a flexible, scalable posture designed to adjust rapidly to shifts in the security environment while keeping air policing continuous.

Taken together, these stories show NATO’s air mission in full motion: high-end tactical training that builds mission command and coalition proficiency; senior-level focus on air and space power as strategic enablers of deterrence; and a steady cadence of rotations that keeps fighters, enablers, and command-and-control networks aligned across the Baltic and Black Sea regions. The throughline is consistent: readiness, interoperability, and the ability to sustain persistent defensive coverage across the eastern flank.

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In this episode, we track six connected stories that show NATO’s air enterprise accelerating integration from the High North to the Black Sea — pairing persistent presence with scalable deterrence and multi-domain readiness.

We begin in Finland, where a NATO AWACS aircraft conducts its first mission in Finnish airspace, a milestone after Finland’s accession that expands long-range surveillance and airborne battle management in the High North. Coordinated by Joint Force Command Norfolk and tasked by Allied Air Command, the mission demonstrates seamless integration with Finnish command-and-control and F/A-18 formations.

That integration scales up under enhanced Vigilance Activity Eastern Sentry, with two back-to-back Flexible Deterrent Option missions spanning NATO’s eastern flank. On March 4, Allies conduct Counter Anti-Access/Area Denial training near Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania, combining French Mirage 2000Ds, German Eurofighters, Spanish and Romanian fighters, and key enabling tankers under NATO air command-and-control. On March 5, the effort shifts north for a multi-domain find, fix, track, and target exercise around the Baltics, linking air, ground command-and-control, and surface-based air and missile defence contributions from multiple Allies.

We then stay on the eastern flank with another Eastern Sentry event in Romania focused on Integrated Air and Missile Defence and counter-unmanned aerial systems, integrating Romanian, Greek, Turkish, and French capabilities with AWACS support under NATO control — reinforcing NATO’s ability to connect sensors, shooters, and decision-making against evolving drone threats.

In the High North, Sweden concludes its first Icelandic Air Policing mission since joining NATO, flying JAS 39 Gripens from Keflavík and operating within NATO’s command-and-control framework alongside Danish F-35s and German Eurofighters, while coordinating closely with Icelandic authorities.

We also mark long-term capability growth as Poland celebrates 20 years of F-16 operations, from its 2003 decision to acquire 48 aircraft and modernize key bases, to current contributions to NATO air defence and the planned upgrade of its fleet to the F-16V configuration.

Finally, Exercise Cold Response 26 closes out Arctic Sentry’s first major exercise, bringing 25,000 personnel from 14 NATO nations together across Norway, Sweden, and Finland. With AWACS supporting from Ørland and the new Combined Air Operations Centre in Bodø commanding air operations, the exercise demonstrates NATO’s ability to coordinate, sustain, and operate in demanding Arctic conditions.

Together, these stories highlight a consistent message: NATO is strengthening its air and missile defence posture through interoperability, distributed operations, and multi-domain integration — delivering credible deterrence across every corner of the Alliance.

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Not every NATO mission begins with aircraft in the air. Some begin with relationships.

In this episode of The Allied Airpower Podcast, ‘Houdini’ spoke with Major Joseph Plata of NATO Allied Air Command’s A9 Military Partnership Branch about one of the Alliance’s less visible but strategically important missions: building and sustaining relationships with partner nations. It is work that happens largely behind the scenes, but it plays a direct role in strengthening trust, improving understanding, and expanding cooperation across the air domain.

Major Plata helps coordinate one of NATO’s most practical partnership tools: Mobile Training Teams (MTT). These teams deliver tailored, unclassified training to partner nations on subjects such as air operational planning, force protection, airspace management, space operations, and public affairs. But as Major Plata explained, the value of these missions goes beyond instruction. They help open lines of communication, reduce misconceptions, and create the kind of professional trust that cannot be built through policy documents alone.

This episode offers a useful reminder that Allied Air and Space Power are not only about platforms and operations. It is also about people, partnerships, and the steady work of building trust before it is needed most.

Recorded Wednesday, 18 March 2026.

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In this episode, Jose “Houdini” Davis breaks down one of the most practical mission sets in modern Allied airpower: F2T2 — Find, Fix, Track, and Target. Using AIRCOM’s 5 March 2026 Eastern Sentry mission as the central example, the episode explains how NATO connects sensors, command and control, and decision-making across multiple domains to turn detection into operational effect.

This is not just a discussion about aircraft or weapons employment. The episode makes clear that F2T2 is a team effort built on ISR, command relationships, decision authority, and interoperability across Allied nations. Davis walks listeners through the logic of the targeting chain and shows why speed alone is not enough; what matters is disciplined speed, shared awareness, and the ability to act coherently under pressure.

The episode also places the March 2026 mission in the larger context of Eastern Sentry and NATO’s broader effort to strengthen deterrence and defence along the eastern flank. By connecting this event to earlier F2T2 missions and recent multi-domain training, Davis shows how NATO is building a more integrated, flexible, and responsive approach to air and missile defence.Recorded Friday, 13 March 2026.

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In this episode, we track six connected developments that show NATO’s air enterprise building readiness at speed — from advanced tactical training in Spain, to new operational frameworks in the High North, to live deterrence activity and counter-drone integration on the eastern flank.

We begin at Albacete Air Base, where nine Allies complete the year’s first Tactical Leadership Programme flying course. The three-week syllabus brings together aircrews, intelligence officers, and ground-controlled interception specialists for complex, high-end scenarios supported by opposing forces, surface-based air defence, and enabling assets like AWACS, tankers, transports, helicopters, and French Navy contributions. The story highlights how live flying is paired with high-fidelity simulation — including advanced flight simulators and the Modern Air Combat Environment — to qualify new mission commanders and strengthen composite air operations across the Alliance.

Next, the focus shifts north as Allied Command Operations announces Arctic Sentry, a multi-domain activity designed to strengthen NATO’s posture in the Arctic and the High North through persistent presence and integrated operations. The initiative frames the region as a strategic gateway linking North America and Europe, where sea lines of communication, air approaches, and critical infrastructure demand continuous situational awareness. A central pillar is Iceland Air Policing under ASIC IPPN, with Sweden currently conducting the mission in Iceland for the first time since joining NATO, while German Eurofighters and Danish F-35s operate from Keflavík in support of enhanced vigilance. Under ACO’s strategic direction and led by Joint Force Command Norfolk, Arctic Sentry aims to integrate national and NATO activities into a coherent operational framework across domains.

From there, we move to NATO’s eastern flank, where Spain forward-deploys Eurofighter Typhoons to Romania in a practical demonstration of Agile Combat Employment. Operating from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base alongside German Air Force personnel already on site, the Spanish detachment strengthens NATO Air Policing in the Black Sea region and reinforces deterrence through a flexible, scalable posture. The deployment is nested within Allied Air Command’s enhanced Vigilance Activities framework, Eastern Sentry, and spotlights the benefits of two Eurofighter-operating Allies cross-servicing aircraft, sharing expertise, and expanding operational flexibility under dynamic conditions.

That emphasis on integration continues over the Baltics, where Allied Air Command conducts an Integrated Air and Missile Defence training mission on Feb. 18, 2026, delivered as a Flexible Deterrent Option. Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Italian Eurofighter Typhoons operate alongside Spanish NASAMS elements, supported by air-to-air refuelling through a KC-30 MRTT, air mobility support via a Spanish A400M, and NATO AWACS. Controlled by NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem, the mission ties together airborne and surface-based capabilities to sharpen procedures and accelerate decision-making in a demanding air and missile defence environment.

We then build on that thread with Steadfast Dart 26 itself — a rapid-reinforcement exercise launched Jan. 15, 2026 and recently concluded — which places Allied airpower at the centre of multi-domain mobilisation across Central Europe. Led by Joint Force Command Brunssum and marking the Allied Reaction Force’s second deployment, the exercise integrates land, air, maritime, cyber, space, and special operations forces, with activity focused on Germany. Türkiye assumes the Combined Force Air Component Commander role through its Joint Force Air Component, while NATO AWACS supports commanders with an operational picture for decision-making. Allied Air Command’s contributions culminate in counter-UAS training over the Baltics, reinforcing the Alliance’s ability to assemble quickly, integrate across domains, and operate as one.

We close with a dedicated counter-UAS activity on Feb. 20, 2026, again under Eastern Sentry and linked to Joint Force Command Brunssum’s Steadfast Dart 26. German and Italian Eurofighters and Spanish F-18s train against a Turkish Bayraktar TB3 unmanned aerial vehicle, with AWACS providing airborne command and control and cross-domain coordination. Designed to refine tactics, techniques, and procedures and improve multi-domain integration, the activity illustrates how NATO links fighters, enablers, and unmanned systems to keep airspace secure and maintain credible defensive options across the eastern flank.

Together, these six stories show NATO strengthening the fundamentals — mission command, readiness, and integrated air and missile defence — while expanding operational frameworks from the High North to the Black Sea and sharpening the Alliance’s ability to respond rapidly in contested, multi-domain environments.

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In this episode, we cover six developments across NATO’s air and intelligence enterprise — a snapshot of an Alliance modernising national air capabilities, strengthening command-and-control and planning on the eastern flank, and sustaining 24/7 airspace security from the Baltics to the High North.

We begin with Croatia’s transition to a modern national air policing capability, as the Croatian Air Force assumes full responsibility for protecting Croatian airspace on Jan. 1, 2026. With Rafale multirole fighters replacing MiG-21 aircraft, and a completed conversion and training programme for pilots, technicians, and support personnel, the handover strengthens NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence network. The story also highlights how Allies ensured continuity during the transition, with interim coverage provided from Italy and Hungary.

Next, we move to Sigonella in Sicily, where the NATO Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Force advances toward Full Operational Capability through the build-up of a new Mission Operations Support Center. With a newly security-accredited facility enabling the installation and testing of mission-critical systems, the force is moving through phased installation, integration, and validation while sustaining uninterrupted operations from interim infrastructure — a deliberate approach designed to deliver a resilient, future-ready operations hub.

We then widen the lens to NATO’s day-to-day air defence posture, as Allied Air Forces demonstrate enhanced Air Policing across the eastern flank and in the High North. The episode looks at operations spanning the Baltics, Poland, and Romania, and the integration of rotational detachments with national Quick Reaction Alert forces. A key moment comes on Jan. 22, 2026, as Swedish and Finnish fighters scramble nationally alongside Italian Eurofighters scrambled under NATO authority — underscoring growing interoperability between national air operations centres and NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centres. In the High North, the focus shifts to Iceland’s air policing framework and the Alliance’s sustained surveillance and interception capability.

From there, we return to Ramstein, as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visits Allied Air Command to observe its round-the-clock role in safeguarding NATO airspace. His meetings and briefings highlight optimisation efforts in Integrated Air and Missile Defence and Ballistic Missile Defence, the role of the Allied Air Command Situation Centre in maintaining the Recognised Air Picture, and the importance of constant surveillance and coordinated decision-making in a complex security environment. The visit also features Eastern Sentry, NATO’s enduring multi-domain enhanced vigilance activity activated in 2025 to synchronise deterrence and defence measures along the eastern flank.

That thread continues with Eastern Sentry on the ground in Sofia, where a Joint Planning Team — bringing together planners from Allied Air Command, Joint Force Command Naples, and the Combined Air Operations Centre Torrejón — deploys to refine Bulgaria’s national contribution. Working side-by-side with the Bulgarian Air Force, the team focuses on operational planning, command-and-control integration, and information-sharing processes, strengthening interoperability and improving readiness and responsiveness across NATO’s eastern flank.

We close in Iceland with a historic first for NATO’s newest Ally, as Sweden leads the Icelandic air policing mission. Six Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighters and more than 110 personnel from Skaraborg Air Wing F7 arrive at Keflavík Air Base to sustain Quick Reaction Alert from early February to mid-March 2026. Supported by NATO air-to-air refuelling through Multi-Role Tanker Transport assets, the deployment highlights operational reach, alliance interoperability, and the unique demands of high-latitude air defence — with Swedish aircrews operating under the direction of Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem, in close coordination with the Icelandic Coast Guard.

Together, these stories show NATO reinforcing the fundamentals — persistent airspace security, integrated planning, and resilient mission operations — while accelerating interoperability and modernisation across the Alliance’s eastern flank and the High North.

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In this episode, we cover six developments across NATO’s air and multi-domain activity — a snapshot of an Alliance modernising its command-and-control backbone, sharpening readiness on the eastern flank, and accelerating fifth-generation interoperability across Europe.

We begin at Ramstein Air Base for a milestone in fifth-generation sustainment and Allied integration: a cross-servicing weapons load on a U.S. Air Force F-35A conducted by Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force weapons specialists during the European Air Chiefs Group meeting. Marking the first weapons load by non-American Allied maintainers on a U.S. F-35A, the event demonstrated practical interoperability — including shared safety procedures, data, and equipment compatibility — and reinforced NATO’s ability to sustain distributed fifth-generation operations across Allied bases.

Next, we shift to the inauguration of Lotto 4 at NATO’s Deployable Air Command and Control Centre (DACCC). The new operational structure represents a major step forward for NATO’s Air Command and Control architecture, combining a modern operations room and an innovation-focused Battle Lab designed to support high-intensity operations, resilience under pressure, and deeper multi-domain integration.

The next story we look at is on NATO’s eastern flank, as German Air Force Eurofighters deploy to Malbork, Poland, to assume NATO’s Air Policing mission. With five aircraft and roughly 150 personnel from Tactical Air Wing 31 “Boelcke,” the detachment reinforces NATO’s 24/7 Quick Reaction Alert posture, operating in coordination with the Polish Air Force and under the direction of NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem. The mission also highlights Germany’s ability to sustain concurrent Air Policing deployments, alongside its ongoing contribution in Romania.

From there, we move south to Italy for Exercise Poggio Dart 25, hosted by the Italian Air Force and led by the DACCC at Poggio Renatico. With more than thirty assets employed across live and virtual training, the exercise strengthened NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence readiness and tested interoperability across Allied and national systems. Deployable radar and control-and-reporting elements — paired with AWACS support — demonstrated NATO’s ability to coordinate complex operations in a multi-domain environment without reliance on fixed infrastructure.

Staying in Italy, we then examine the Italian Air Force special operations exercise Artiglio 2025, which integrated Special Forces with fourth- and fifth-generation air assets to operationalise NATO’s Agile Combat Employment concept and counter anti-access and area-denial threats. The exercise simulated austere operations from an advanced operating node, combining special reconnaissance and direct action with close air support, air interdiction support, and the controlled insertion and rapid regeneration of F-35A operations through a forward arming and refuelling point and “hot refuelling.”

Finally, in Poland, Allied Air Command led a NATO Find, Fix, Track, and Target (F2T2) training event involving forces from six nations: Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Conducted in support of NATO’s enhanced Vigilance Activity, Eastern Sentry, the mission tested multi-domain integration across air and land elements, including AWACS command-and-control, fighter operations, refuelling support, and ground-based coordination. The exercise highlighted Eastern Sentry’s flexible deterrence posture and NATO’s ability to synchronise sensors and shooters rapidly in contested environments.

Together, these six stories illustrate a NATO Alliance investing in modern command and control, reinforcing airspace security on the eastern flank, and pushing interoperability into real-world, fifth-generation execution — ensuring Allied Airpower remains ready, resilient, and integrated across the Euro-Atlantic region.

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In this episode, we explore six major developments across NATO’s air and multi-domain operations — a snapshot of an Alliance sharpening its readiness, accelerating integration, and strengthening deterrence across the Euro-Atlantic region.

We begin in the United States, where the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force completed a demanding deployment to Idaho for Exercise Gunfighter Flag 25-02. Twelve Dutch F-35s conducted advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground training alongside U.S. Air Force units, demonstrating NATO’s ability to rapidly project Airpower and operate together in high-intensity, contested environments.

Next, on NATO’s southern flank, the NATO Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Force supported Neptune Strike 25-4 with its RQ-4D Phoenix fleet operating from Sigonella. This iteration marked several milestones, including NISRF’s first integration of an ISR Package Commander and simultaneous support to two Joint Force Commands. The mission delivered theatre-wide situational awareness and reinforced NATO’s multi-domain maritime readiness.

In the Baltic region, the Hungarian Air Forces completed a four-month Air Policing mission from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania. Flying JAS-39C Gripens, Hungary executed more than twenty Alpha scrambles and maintained a 24/7 Quick Reaction Alert posture in cooperation with Spanish and Italian detachments. Their participation in multinational training missions strengthened interoperability and helped secure NATO’s eastern flank.

At Ramstein, U.S. Air Force aeromedical teams enhanced NATO’s medical readiness during the Medical Evaluation Course. Airmen from the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron prepared a C-130H Hercules for a large-scale simulated evacuation, working alongside U.S. Army medical personnel and CCATT specialists. The exercise strengthened shared standards and improved Allied interoperability in critical-care air transport.

Across northern Europe, the U.S. Bomber Task Force concluded its latest deployment as B-52H Stratofortress bombers integrated with Finnish, Lithuanian, and Swedish fighter aircraft. Training missions rehearsed responses to anti-access and area-denial threats while showcasing the principles behind NATO’s newest enhanced Vigilance Activity, Eastern Sentry. The deployment showcased NATO’s ability to project its defensive shield across the High North and Eastern Flank.

Finally, at Allied Air Command Headquarters, SACEUR — General Alexus G. Grynkewich — emphasized warfighting readiness during his visit to Ramstein. Meeting with Lieutenant General Jason T. Hinds, he highlighted the need for a warfighting mindset across all levels of command and reaffirmed NATO’s commitment to integrated, multi-domain defence. His visit underscored the Alliance’s focus on adaptation, unity, and preparedness in an evolving security environment.

Together, these six stories illustrate a NATO that is training harder, integrating more deeply, and preparing collectively for the challenges ahead — ensuring Allied Airpower remains ready, resilient, and decisive across the Euro-Atlantic area.

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In this episode, Jose “Houdini” Davis sits down with U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Brennan “Thor” Gallagher, one of Allied Air Command’s key operational leads behind Eastern Sentry, NATO’s newest vigilance activity along the Alliance’s Eastern Flank. A U.S. Air Force Weapons School graduate, rescue C-130 pilot, and senior planner in AIRCOM’s A35 directorate, Thor brings deep operational and strategic expertise to a conversation that unpacks both the origin and the ambition of NATO’s Eastern Sentry.

Thor explains how Eastern Sentry emerged as NATO’s immediate response to repeated Russian drone violations in September — airspace intrusions that made clear the Alliance had to shift to a more proactive, integrated air defence posture. This evolution is not cosmetic; it represents a structural change in how NATO protects its populations and airspace. Instead of reacting to incursions, Eastern Sentry pushes sensors, shooters, aircraft, and cyber/space capabilities forward, creating a flexible defensive lattice from the Baltics to the Black Sea.

As the operational lead for Eastern Sentry, AIRCOM is working closely with LANDCOM, MARCOM, and other NATO entities, developing a “sensor-to-shooter ecosystem,” where land-based counter-UAS systems, maritime patrol aircraft, satellite-enabled ISR, and Airpower are bound together by command and control as the glue.

The episode also highlights how Eastern Sentry has triggered a surge of Allied contributions. Nations including Czechia, Germany, France, Denmark, and others have surged aircraft, sensors, and special operations helicopters to reinforce the integrity of NATO’s eastern airspace. These activities — mirrored in real-world events like the Rafale launch out of Poland during an Eastern Sentry alert — demonstrate the speed, cohesion, and credibility of the Alliance’s integrated response network.

Thor walks listeners through how Eastern Sentry is also becoming a proving ground for innovation, testing new counter-UAS technologies, mobile radar units, and rapid sensor-to-shooter links. In partnership with Allied Command Transformation and other NATO components, Eastern Sentry is evaluating systems already gaining traction, shaping what deterrence will look like on NATO territory in the years ahead.

Recorded Monday, 27 October 2025.

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In this episode, we explore five major Allied Air Command developments that demonstrate NATO’s enduring focus on leadership, readiness, and collective deterrence across the Euro-Atlantic region.

First, across four host nations in northern Europe, NATO conducted its annual nuclear deterrence exercise Steadfast Noon. Up to seventy aircraft from fourteen Allied countries participated in the training, which tested the Alliance’s procedures for maintaining a safe, secure, and credible nuclear posture. Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized that the exercise “ensures our nuclear deterrent remains credible, safe, and effective” — reaffirming NATO’s resolve to defend every Ally against any threat.

Next, in southeastern Europe, Romania certified a second F-16 Fighting Falcon squadron to support NATO Air Policing missions. Operating from Câmpia Turzii Air Base, the 48th Fighter Squadron joins existing Romanian and German detachments to secure the Alliance’s eastern flank. The new unit highlights Romania’s growing contribution to NATO’s integrated air and missile defence system, reinforcing deterrence and cohesion along the Black Sea region.

Meanwhile, Allied Air Command participated in Exercise Steadfast Duel 2025, NATO’s largest computer-assisted command post exercise of the year. Directed by the Joint Warfare Centre in Stavanger, Norway, the event brought together all three Joint Force Commands — Brunssum, Naples, and Norfolk — under one coordinated framework. Air Operations Centres in Spain, Germany, and Norway trained side by side, simulating complex air tasking, coordination across domains, and integrated command and control in an Article 5 scenario.

At Allied Air Command Headquarters in Ramstein, leadership recognition and transition marked the close of October. During a ceremony on October 31, Deputy Commander Général de corps aérien Guillaume Thomas of France received the Cross of the German Armed Forces in Gold for his expert leadership during Exercise Pacific Skies 2024. The award, presented by General Ingo Gerhartz, honored his role in advancing Franco-German cooperation and Allied interoperability throughout the Indo-Pacific exercise.

Finally, the month concluded with a change of command at the top. U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Jason T. Hinds assumed leadership of NATO’s Allied Air Command, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, and U.S. Air Forces Africa. During the ceremony, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus G. Grynkewich, formally passed the guidon, marking the transition. In his address, Lieutenant General Hinds underscored unity and readiness, declaring: “Our unity, purpose, and collective deterrence is our strength. And should deterrence fail, we must be ready to fight tonight, fight tomorrow, and fight together.”

Together, these developments reflect NATO’s continued evolution in leadership, capability, and resolve — from strategic deterrence and air policing to integrated command and operational excellence — ensuring Allied Airpower remains decisive and united across the Euro-Atlantic area.

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In this special episode, Jose “Houdini” Davis sits down with Air Marshal Sir Johnny Stringer, Acting Commander of NATO Allied Air Command, for a candid and wide-ranging conversation that bridges three decades of airpower, leadership, and strategy. A former Typhoon Wing Commander with over 3,000 flight hours, Air Marshal Stringer has led across every level — from cockpit to command table — serving as Chief of Staff at the UK’s Joint Forces Command and Director of Strategy at UK Strategic Command. Educated at Oxford and King’s College London, he brings a rare blend of tactical insight and grand strategic vision to his reflections on NATO’s evolving mission.

Air Marshal Stringer traces how Allied Air Command has transformed during his tenure, shaped by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and the consequences thereafter. He discusses how the Alliance is now “resetting” its air and space power for a new era of deterrence, where air and missile defense, Agile Combat Employment (ACE), and integrated command and control (C2) define NATO’s priorities. Drawing on his love of history, Air Marshal Stringer compares today’s challenges to those faced by NATO in 1958, when rapid technological and geopolitical change forced a similar transformation in how airpower was organized and employed.

In his trademark wit and clarity, Air Marshal Stringer also reflects on the philosophy behind his guiding maxim, “Better Never Stops.” For him, it’s more than a slogan: it’s a professional ethic rooted in curiosity, humility, and continuous improvement. It is the belief that high-performing organizations must be as curious about their failures as their successes. He shares how that mindset has shaped NATO’s approach to innovation and adaptation amid accelerating change.

As he prepares to conclude more than three years leading NATO Allied Air Command, Air Marshal Sir Johnny Stringer leaves listeners with a message of gratitude and resolve: a reminder that NATO’s strength lies in unity, professionalism, and a shared commitment to the billion people its members defend.

Recorded Wednesday, 22 October 2025.

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In this episode, we explore five major Allied developments that underscore NATO’s ongoing commitment to deterrence, vigilance, and integrated Airpower across the Euro-Atlantic region.

First, in southern Europe, Allied and Partner Tiger Squadrons gathered in Portugal for the annual NATO Tiger Meet. Over eighty aircraft and fifteen hundred personnel from nine NATO nations — plus Austria and Switzerland — took part at Beja Air Base. Hosted by the Portuguese Air Force for the fifth time, the two-week exercise featured daily live-fly missions, from close air support to search and rescue, strengthening interoperability and camaraderie among NATO’s premier fighter units.

Next, in the Baltics, Italy transitioned its NATO Air Policing mission in Estonia from F-35 Lightning II aircraft to Eurofighter Typhoons. The handover, conducted at Ämari Air Base, marks the continuation of Italy’s two-decade contribution to NATO’s Baltic security. Supported by the Gulfstream E-550A and the SAMP/T missile system, the new detachment maintains the Alliance’s quick-reaction capability on the Eastern Flank.

Meanwhile, in Poland, nine NATO nations conducted a live Find, Fix, Track, and Target (F2T2) exercise, coordinated by Allied Air Command. Danish F-35s, Spanish Typhoons, and French and Turkish tanker aircraft integrated under Combined Air Operations Centre Torrejón’s command. Supported by NATO AWACS and Polish control units, the mission tested seamless multi-domain coordination across air, land, sea, cyber, and space — refining Allied precision-strike and decision-making in contested environments.

At Allied Air Command Headquarters in Ramstein, Air Chiefs from twenty-nine Allied nations and five Partners convened for the bi-annual NATO Air Chiefs’ Symposium. Acting Commander Air Marshal Sir Johnny Stringer led discussions under the theme “Accelerating Air and Missile Defence for 360-Degree Security.” Leaders explored integrated command and control (C2), enhanced vigilance activities (eVA), and the future of NATO air and missile defence. The event also marked Air Marshal Sir Johnny Stringer’s final symposium before the handover to Lieutenant General Guillaume Thomas as the new Deputy Commander of AIRCOM.

Finally, in the High North, NATO inaugurated a new Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Bodø, Norway. The new CAOC — NATO’s third alongside Uedem in Germany and Torrejón in Spain — expands the Alliance’s command and control network across the Arctic and Nordic region. Norwegian Major General Tron Strand assumed command during a ceremony attended by senior leaders from Norway, Finland, Sweden, and NATO. Vice Admiral Doug Perry of Joint Force Command Norfolk emphasized the CAOC’s role in safeguarding the North Atlantic and enhancing deterrence from Florida to Finland.

Together, these developments highlight how Allied Air Command continues to strengthen NATO’s integrated posture — from the Iberian Peninsula to the Arctic Circle — ensuring flexibility, readiness, and unity across all domains of operation.

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In this episode, we take listeners beyond the atmosphere to explore NATO’s newest operational domain — space. Joining him is U.S. Colonel Jonathan L. Whitaker, Chief of Staff at NATO’s Combined Forces Space Component Command and Director of the NATO Space Operations Center at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. With more than two decades of experience in U.S. and Allied space operations, Colonel Whitaker offers a rare inside look at how the Alliance is adapting to an era where the orbital environment is no longer benign but increasingly contested, congested, and critical to deterrence and defense.

The conversation traces the origins of NATO’s Space Center, established in 2020, and how it now functions as the hub for Allied space activity — tracking satellites, monitoring space weather and GPS integrity, safeguarding secure communications for NATO aircraft, and coordinating multinational intelligence from orbit. Colonel Whitaker describes how nations with different capabilities contribute to a shared mission, blending military and commercial technologies to keep space secure and accessible.

Through real-world examples he illustrates how space-based intelligence and situational awareness enable commanders on the ground, at sea, and in the air to act decisively. He also discusses the growing partnership between NATO and industry, the integration of commercial space assets, and the coming expansion of the NATO Space Operations Center into a 24-hour global watch.

At its heart, this episode shows how space has become the connective tissue of modern warfare and peacekeeping alike.

Recorded Wednesday, 10 September 2025.

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In this episode, we explore three major Allied developments that underscore NATO’s commitment to readiness, partnership, and deterrence across Europe.

First, at Allied Air Command Headquarters in Ramstein, fourteen Partner nations gathered for the annual Partner Air Chiefs’ Conference. Acting Commander Air Marshall Johnny Stringer led discussions on Agile Combat Employment, Counter–Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS), and strengthening partnerships. The conference reinforced how dialogue between NATO and its Partners continues to shape future Airpower cooperation.

Next, we turn to Northern Europe, where Finland led Exercise Protective Fence 2025 — the nation’s largest live-fly event of the year. With over 50 aircraft and 1,200 personnel from Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, the exercise tested dispersed operations across multiple air bases. Coordinated with the U.K.-led Joint Expeditionary Force, it demonstrated the Allies’ ability to operate flexibly under NATO’s Agile Combat Employment concept.

Finally, in Denmark, NATO and national forces protected the skies over Copenhagen during high-level EU and European Political Community summits. Following recent drone incursions, additional air, maritime, and ground-based assets — including the German frigate FGS Hamburg and the U.S. destroyer U.S.S. Bulkeley — secured the region under Baltic Sentry operations. As NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte put it: “We have to keep our skies safe.”

Together, these events highlight the Alliance’s unified approach to deterrence and defence — combining planning, training, and operational action to ensure Europe’s skies remain secure.

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Recorded at the NATO Communicators Conference in Athens, Greece this episode explores the role of Strategic Communications (STRATCOM) in today’s complex information environment.

We sit down with Wing Commander Tim Barlow, former STRATCOM Director at NATO Allied Air Command and now at SHAPE’s J10 Directorate, to unpack what STRATCOM really means — linking presence, posture, profile, and words into coherent actions that influence audiences and safeguard democracy.

Wing Commander Barlow shares practical insights, including a case study on hosting Serbian media and political leaders at Allied Air Command, where open dialogue and cultural connection transformed perceptions of NATO. At its core, the conversation highlights STRATCOM as more than messaging — it is about building trust, understanding audiences, and demonstrating that NATO’s strength lies in unity.

Recorded Wednesday, 24 September 2025.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in The Allied Airpower Podcast are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NATO, NATO Allied Air Command, or any national government. Any external hyperlinks or resources shared on this podcast do not constitute endorsement.

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This week highlighted a series of major NATO Airpower events across Europe and the High North during September 2025.

We begin with Cobra Warrior 25-2, where the Royal Air Force is hosting Allies Canada, Italy, Germany, the UK, and the United States at RAF Waddington. This large-scale exercise pushes aircrews to their limits, sharpening interoperability and readiness in complex, high-threat environments.

Next, we move north to Greenland for Arctic Light 2025, a Danish-led exercise involving over 550 personnel. Naval, air, land, and special forces from Denmark, France, Sweden, Norway, and Germany trained together in live-fire drills, cold-weather operations, and large-scale search and rescue missions — demonstrating NATO’s ability to operate in the most demanding Arctic conditions.

From there, we head to Lithuania for Exercise Baltic Bikini 2025, where aircrews from Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, and Lithuania rehearsed survival after ditching at sea. Through realistic water-based rescue scenarios, NATO reinforced critical skills for personnel operating over the Baltic region.

We then highlight the 25th NATO Days in Ostrava and the 16th Czech Air Force Days, which drew nearly 100,000 spectators. The event showcased Allied modernization, from Slovakia’s new F-16 Block 70/72 fighters and Portugal’s KC-390 transport to spectacular aerial displays by the Red Arrows, Turkish Stars, and Croatia’s Krila Oluje.

Finally, we close with a historic milestone in the High North: a UK RAF A400 transport aircraft landing for the first time on Jan Mayen, a remote volcanic island in the Norwegian Sea. The mission delivered a U.S. Marine Corps Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and underscored NATO’s ability to sustain operations in one of the world’s most challenging environments.

Together, these events highlight NATO’s commitment to collective defense, agility, and readiness across multiple domains — from the Baltic and Central Europe to the icy Arctic frontier.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit natoaircom.substack.com

The Allied Airpower Podcast is committed to telling the true stories of the individuals who comprise the 32-member Alliance. Are you interested in sharing your story of service to your nation and your contributions to NATO? Contact us and be a guest on the podcast!

In this powerful episode, The Allied Airpower Podcast shifts focus, from the conceptual to the frontlines, spotlighting the Airmen who make NATO Airpower possible. Today, we tell the individual story of an Airman who overcame hardship and adversity to be where he is today. Meet U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Honza Cafourek, whose path runs from childhood in Czechoslovakia under communism, to escape across the Iron Curtain, to building a new life in America and ultimately serving as a proud U.S. Air Force Airman.

MSgt. Cafourek reflects on the grit and determination it took to learn English, gain American citizenship, and build a career in the U.S. Air Force, supporting missions from Guam to the Middle East. Along the way, he opens up about adversity, resilience, and his enduring dream of serving as a police officer.

Now back in his native Czech Republic with U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa, MSgt. Cafourek embodies the values of commitment, service, and sacrifice — standing as both an ambassador and an inspiration ahead of NATO Days in Ostrava, September 20-21.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in The Allied Airpower Podcast are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NATO, NATO Allied Air Command, or any national government. Any external hyperlinks or resources shared on this podcast do not constitute endorsement.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit natoaircom.substack.com

This week’s news roundup episode spotlights five stories that showcase NATO’s commitment to vigilance, unity, and airpower excellence across the Alliance.

In Poland and the Baltic region, NATO’s Air Policing mission responded swiftly to multiple airspace violations, including Russian drones and reconnaissance flights. Scrambles by Dutch, Spanish, French, and German fighters demonstrated NATO’s collective defence in action.

But first, we begin at Eindhoven Air Base in the Netherlands, where the European Air Transport Command (EATC) marked its 15th anniversary — celebrating multinational success in air mobility, air-to-air refuelling, and aeromedical evacuation across seven member nations.

Then we move to Konya Air Base in Türkiye, where NATO AWACS and Turkish aircraft teamed up for NEXUS ACE training — strengthening tactical coordination under the Tailored Assurance Measures for Türkiye.

Next, we head to Italy, where the Frecce Tricolori celebrated 65 years of precision aerobatics. Teams from six Allied and partner nations joined the air show, highlighting the operational value of aerial display teams within NATO.

Finally, in Sigonella, Italy, the NATO ISR Force celebrated its tenth anniversary — tracing its evolution from a ground surveillance program to a permanent intelligence hub supporting operations from Sicily to the High North.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit natoaircom.substack.com

NATO Days in Ostrava, in the Czech Republic, is the biggest security show in Europe, and in this special episode — part of a two-part series — we had the special privilege to chat with two important leaders organizing this exposition of NATO Airpower: Colonel (Ret.) David Webb (USAF), longtime B-52 electronic warfare officer and current North American representative for Jagello 2000, and Colonel Michal Kudyn (Czech Air Force), head of training and exercises and this year’s Display Director for NATO Days in Ostrava.

Drawing more than 200,000 visitors a year, NATO Days in Ostrava is more than just an airshow; it is a full-spectrum security display, combining air demonstrations with ground forces, air defense, armored vehicles, and even working dogs. In the episode, Colonel Kudyn and Colonel Webb share with listeners how the event has grown from a small one-day gathering in 2001 into a massive multinational showcase demonstrating collective defense.

NATO Days in Ostrava offers attendees a vivid picture of Allied security and cooperation, assuring Allied publics of their security across the 32-member Alliance. This year, Italy serves as the special partner nation, bringing the F-35 and other assets, while the Czech Air Force takes pride in hosting Allies and building new bonds. In the episode, both leaders emphasize NATO Days in Ostrava as not just a display of power, but also a platform for community engagement, education, and a reminder that the Alliance is stronger together.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in The Allied Airpower Podcast are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NATO, NATO Allied Air Command, or any national government. Any external hyperlinks or resources shared on this podcast do not constitute endorsement.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit natoaircom.substack.com