On March 19–20 Commanders and Senior Enlisted Leaders of the Air Forces of the three Baltic states, Nordic countries and Poland held a meeting at the Lithuanian Air Force Base. One of the most important topics of discussion was the joint Baltic BALTNET project currently in the rotating command of a Lithuanian officer with the Combined Control and Reporting Centre (RCR) in Karmėlava.
Commander Lithuanian Air Force Col Antanas Matutis pointed the significance of the event, saying “Such meetings are critical for strengthening collaboration between the Allies and ensuring effect air defence in the region. We are sharing experience with each other, harmonize our actions and enhancing our capabilities. Only as a team can we ensure our countries are safe and contribute to safeguarding integrity of the NATO airspace.”
Baltic Air Force Commanders met separately on regional air force topics, ongoing and planned projects. On the next day they were joined by the Nordic and Polish colleagues for a discussion on individual situation of every country and a particular focus on the integration of Finland and Sweden in the Alliance’s defence structures. The meeting also highlighted the importance of Allied interoperability for air defence in the region.
At the same time, the Senior Enlisted Leaders addressed NCO career opportunities and trends of their development in the Baltic region. They analyzed practices and experience of different countries to determine the best models for effective NCO career development and improvement. Applicability of best practices from foreign countries for the Baltics to enhance NCO professionalism and motivation, as well as the consistent development of their career, were discussed. The participants also pointed out the necessity to step up the cooperation among the NCO corps leaders to facilitate information exchange and application of innovative solutions in NCO training system.
“Development of the NCO corps is one of the most important aspects in strengthening the Armed Forces. The opportunity to share experience with the Allies, compare career models in different countries and find the most effective practices will help us arrange future NCO training and improvement the more efficiently. Only by strengthening our NCO corps can we ensure the capability and readiness of the entire Armed Forces,” Senior Enlisted Leader of the Lithuanian Air Force Sgt Maj Nerijus Petravičius said.
BALTNET (Baltic Air Surveillance Network and Control System) is the joint Baltic states’ airspace surveillance and control project to protect sovereignty of the national airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and to contribute to the integrity of the NATO airspace. The system includes airspace surveillance radars and data transfer and processing centers that ensure effective control of the Baltic airspace.
Photo credits: Lithuanian Air Force
