Israeli Military News: 5 NATO Members, India To Drill Later This Year

Israel’s Air Force announced Tuesday it planned to host its largest international flight exercises with five NATO members and India later this year while citing Russia’s military presence in the Middle East, Defense News reported.

Though an exact date had not been announced, a top Israeli official said the United States, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy and Poland would send a total of almost 100 aircraft and hundreds of “air warriors” and crews sometime in the fall for Blue Flag drills. Those first began in 2013 and last took placed in 2015, and this year it shall be focused on coordinated efforts during “high-threat theaters,” or rather full-scale wars.

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“It will be a massive exercise; the biggest ever for the IAF. Seven nations plus Israel,” Israeli Air Force's chief of international affairs and Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said.

In the two previous drills, the U.S., Greece and Poland had joined Israel but this fall’s exercises will be the first for Germany, India, Italy and France.

Hecht cited Israel’s central location, between Europe and the Middle East, as well as Russia’s presence in Syria as reasons for the drills’ expansion in total countries.

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“People are seeing there’s a lot to learn from Israel,” he said. “In our tiny airspace and in the environment around us, things are so intense. The Russians are here. … Many of the world’s air forces are passing through here on their way to operations in Syria and elsewhere in the region. So we provide a sort of battle lab in which forces can hone a spectrum of skills needed to combat growing threats.”

The announcement came at a critical time for both Europe and NATO at large due to Russia’s increased military activities over the last year. The Russian military had repeatedly flown aircraft in and around NATO members’ airspace and President Donald Trump has also called for an increase in military spending by NATO members.