Focused on exercising Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) and the incremental development of theatre-wide security capabilities, the U.S.-led multinational military exercise Astral Knight 2024 (AK24) kicked off on May 6, 2024 over Poland and Baltic countries. AK24 is scheduled to host nearly 5,000 Allied personnel from six participating Allied nations and more than 50 aircraft. Four Allied nations will provide aircraft for the exercise: Lithuania, Poland, the U.K. and the U.S. Other participating nations include Denmark and Greece, which will observe elements of the exercise, advancing Allied interoperability throughout the Baltic regions.
“Astral Knight demonstrates the collective defence capabilities of NATO Allies and partners across Europe. By fostering early collaboration and integration in IAMD efforts among NATO nations, we enhance our ability to deter and respond effectively to shared threats,” said General James Hecker, Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa and NATO Allied Air Command.
On top of safeguarding NATO sovereignty, IAMD involves a coordinated approach to protect Allied military forces and critical assets from air and missile attacks, ensuring they can operate freely, without disruption and impediment from enemy air and missile strikes. Recent conflicts, such as those in Ukraine and Israel, have highlighted the importance of quickly detecting and responding to aerial threats, such as missiles or drones. During the U.S.-led IAMD exercise, participating nations will focus on enhancing movement, manoeuvr-ability, and integration between U.S. and Allied forces, while practicing critical tactics, techniques and procedure of the Agile Combat Employment strategy.
The U.S. invested in advanced sensors, radars, and surveillance technologies, and integrated them with Allies and partners to develop a comprehensive and accurate common situational awareness picture. Such capabilities allow for effective detection, tracking and identification of potentially hostile airborne and missile threats. Collaboration with NATO Allies, as in AK24, strengthens collective defence capabilities across Europe enabling participants to test command and control relationships. Through early collaboration and integration of Allied air and missile defence efforts, the U.S. and Allies effectively deter and respond to threats.
