| NATO members stage major air exercise |
| The largest military air exercises in Europe since the end of the Cold War began yesterday, as more than 250 aircraft took to the air in a pointed demonstration to Russia of how NATO would respond if the alliance was attacked. |
| Twenty-five nations participated in the exercises in Germany. All but two are members of NATO: Sweden, which is seeking admission, also took part, and Japan was an observer. The war games have been planned since 2018, but they took on added urgency after the invasion of Ukraine, which alarmed NATO members that lie in the shadow of Russia. |
| After 30 years of shrinking military budgets, air power had become a vulnerability for NATO. That has begun to change since the start of the Russian invasion, with leaders in Kyiv billing their country as Europe’s first line of defense against Moscow. |
| Strategy: Since the invasion of Ukraine, NATO has shifted from “deterrence by retaliation” — relying on the promise to come to the defense of any member — to “deterrence by denial,” which seeks to prevent an occupation. That means more troops and equipment permanently based on the Russian border. |
| On the ground: “A lot of what today was, was to show Russia that it’s ready,” said Lara Jakes, who reported from an air base in Wunstorf, Germany. “This was a war game that was supposed to look exactly like the response should a NATO state be attacked.” |
| Related: In Russia, recent Ukrainian attacks have killed more than a dozen civilians and displaced thousands. But they have not fundamentally changed the political landscape for Vladimir Putin. |
