11:40 GMT, September 16, 2009 While visiting F-15 fighter aircraft at the Tallinn Airport ysterday, Riho Terras, Permanent Undersecretary of the Estonian Ministry of Defence (MoD), said that the air policing training events of the Baltic States were increasing in scale and complexity every time.

The Permanent Undersecretary of the MoD examined the F-15 Strike Eagle fighters from the United States, which had taken off from Great Britain, and met with their pilots, who before yesterday conducted a cooperation exercise in Lääne-Viru County with the next Estonian infantry company headed for Afghanistan.

According to Terras, yet another air policing training event is confirmation that NATO territory is one whole and its defence the joint solidary task of the allies. “Regular air policing training events like this, and the knowledge that NATO has decided that the air policing mission in the Baltic States would remain operational through at least 2014, significantly increase security in NATO air space as a whole,” Terras said.

According to the Permanent Undersecretary, the events, including successive new training elements, also signal the constantly growing competence of the Estonian Air Force and its improving cooperation with allied forces. “The Forward Air Controllers, who practiced with US fighters in West-Viru County today, will increase the security and safety of our Afghanistan contingent. Also, the roll-out of this capability will be important for strengthening Estonia’s primary independent defence capability,” Terras affirmed.

On Monday and Tuesday, F-15E fighters from the United States Air Force will conduct, as part of the 4th Air Policing Training Event in Baltic air space, a cooperation exercise over Estonia with the next company of the Scouts Battalion headed for Afghanistan and the Forward Air Controllers of the Estonian Air Force.

In the course of the exercise, the Forward Air Controllers will practice for the first time, in cooperation with the NATO fighters, the coordination of fire support during a infantry operations. The cooperation exercise with the fighters will be conducted as part of the BAM-7 exercise of the Scouts Battalion in West-Viru County. The exercise will be part of the training for a new capability of the Air Force, the Forward Air Controllers.

The second part of the 4th Air Policing Training Event in Baltic air space will be conducted next week, with a focus on the development of air surveillance and air defence capabilities.

Baltic air policing training events have been conducted since October 2008. The last defence exercise in Baltic air space was conducted in July 2009. In the course of the exercise, NATO air force units practiced the delivery of international aid packages to an unknown region and the securing of air space control under the conditions of electronic countermeasures.