WEBVTT 00:04.740 --> 00:07.170 - [Man] 127, this is (mumbling). 00:07.170 --> 00:08.950 - [Mike] Captain Arunus Urgitis 00:08.950 --> 00:12.650 is heading north at 24,000 feet over the Baltic Sea 00:12.650 --> 00:15.900 towards Finland, his Lithuanian transport plane, 00:15.900 --> 00:19.980 a Spartan C-27 is about to lose radio contact 00:19.980 --> 00:21.830 with Air Traffic Control. 00:21.830 --> 00:23.377 - We now speak to the ATC 00:24.719 --> 00:27.530 but when we fly into the Finnish territory, 00:27.530 --> 00:30.378 we stop to speak to an ATC 00:30.378 --> 00:34.203 and we will just fly silently. 00:35.530 --> 00:38.060 - [Mike] The crew is simulating a loss of communication, 00:38.060 --> 00:39.430 something which could happen 00:39.430 --> 00:41.520 to a regular passenger flight. 00:41.520 --> 00:43.880 In such a case, Air Traffic Controllers 00:43.880 --> 00:46.510 would be unable to guide the aircraft safely 00:46.510 --> 00:47.670 to the ground. 00:47.670 --> 00:49.940 Sending up fighter jets to make contact 00:49.940 --> 00:51.180 would be the fastest way 00:51.180 --> 00:53.270 to find out what's happening on board 00:53.270 --> 00:56.033 and to assist the pilots to a safe landing. 00:56.914 --> 00:58.700 This is the scenario 00:58.700 --> 01:01.790 at the 11th Baltic Region Training Event. 01:01.790 --> 01:04.450 The annual event is aimed at training the pilots 01:04.450 --> 01:06.480 and controllers of NATO nations 01:06.480 --> 01:11.070 and partner countries in common air policing procedures. 01:11.070 --> 01:13.310 - For every country it's very important air police 01:13.310 --> 01:15.590 and if we cannot provide by ourselves, 01:15.590 --> 01:17.560 NATO is providing for us 01:17.560 --> 01:19.743 and here are also contributing. 01:20.810 --> 01:22.070 Like our flight today, 01:22.070 --> 01:24.690 we are participating in this exercise 01:24.690 --> 01:27.290 and for all region, not for only Lithuania, 01:27.290 --> 01:28.860 for Latvia, Estonia. 01:28.860 --> 01:31.710 - [Mike] Captain Urgitis says the three Baltic states 01:31.710 --> 01:33.140 don't have sufficient jets 01:33.140 --> 01:34.720 to police their own airspace, 01:34.720 --> 01:38.080 that's why NATO provides this capability for them. 01:38.080 --> 01:39.600 Various alliance members 01:39.600 --> 01:44.260 have been doing so on a rotational basis since 2004. 01:44.260 --> 01:48.650 The current agreement runs until the end of 2018. 01:48.650 --> 01:51.330 For the Chief of Staff of the Lithuanian Air Force, 01:51.330 --> 01:54.850 it's a good example of NATO's Smart Defense Concept 01:54.850 --> 01:56.930 which encourages allies to pool 01:56.930 --> 01:58.800 and share capabilities. 01:58.800 --> 02:02.110 Maintaining their own fighter jets would be uneconomical 02:02.110 --> 02:04.570 for the three Baltic states he says. 02:04.570 --> 02:08.840 - I believe the economy of scale is present here. 02:08.840 --> 02:13.460 If one of the nation's not able to provide 02:13.460 --> 02:15.710 the certain capability, 02:15.710 --> 02:20.150 then another nation's coming to help us, 02:20.150 --> 02:21.330 that is important. 02:21.330 --> 02:23.340 - [Mike] The money saved by the Baltic states 02:23.340 --> 02:25.730 through this display of alliance solidarity 02:25.730 --> 02:28.720 enables them to contribute to NATO in other ways 02:28.720 --> 02:31.100 such as by providing specialist forces 02:31.100 --> 02:34.040 and capabilities in Afghanistan. 02:34.040 --> 02:36.730 - We have an air advisory team over there, 02:36.730 --> 02:40.020 so already second year we're providing some training 02:40.020 --> 02:45.020 for Afghans, how to use helicopters, Mi-17. 02:46.940 --> 02:48.620 So, we provide them with training 02:48.620 --> 02:51.020 how to maintain them, how to fly them 02:51.020 --> 02:55.110 and of course how to plan their missions. 02:55.110 --> 02:56.160 - [Mike] For Latvia too, 02:56.160 --> 02:57.560 it's a smart arrangement 02:57.560 --> 03:01.140 that enables it to provide other much needed capabilities 03:01.140 --> 03:02.283 to the alliance. 03:03.250 --> 03:05.247 - And these other capabilities basically 03:05.247 --> 03:08.270 are linked with the NATO Force Goals 03:08.270 --> 03:11.700 that increase our interoperability 03:11.700 --> 03:13.500 with other nation forces 03:13.500 --> 03:16.270 and at the same time, provide us with more forces 03:16.270 --> 03:18.630 that we can deploy for the operations. 03:18.630 --> 03:20.660 And as I illustrated some of them 03:20.660 --> 03:25.570 like JTAG or Explosive Ordinance Disposal experts 03:25.570 --> 03:29.420 that are quite a significant enabler 03:29.420 --> 03:33.850 at the level of the nation like Latvia. 03:33.850 --> 03:35.110 - [Mike] For Captain Urgitis, 03:35.110 --> 03:37.320 today's training event is a success. 03:37.320 --> 03:41.330 His plane was intercepted by Finnish F-18 Hornets 03:41.330 --> 03:43.440 turned towards its base in Lithuania 03:43.440 --> 03:48.100 and guided to a safe landing by German F-4 Phantoms. 03:48.100 --> 03:50.470 For the current commander of the German contingent 03:50.470 --> 03:52.370 having six jets stationed here 03:52.370 --> 03:55.893 on a rotational basis is a win-win situation. 03:57.140 --> 03:59.930 - We send our aircraft here to fly for a four-month period 03:59.930 --> 04:03.580 and also very, very well training for us doing that. 04:03.580 --> 04:05.530 We get and as you could see 04:05.530 --> 04:07.195 on the Bright exercise today, 04:07.195 --> 04:10.750 we get to train, to interact with different nation 04:10.750 --> 04:12.290 that are not only NATO members 04:12.290 --> 04:13.950 but Partnership for Peace nations 04:13.950 --> 04:15.900 and obviously with the host nations support 04:15.900 --> 04:17.370 the CVC in Camp Navala 04:17.370 --> 04:20.170 and also that is one capability 04:20.170 --> 04:21.490 that has a host nation 04:21.490 --> 04:22.980 and they obviously provide that 04:22.980 --> 04:25.006 and that I think it's a win-win situation 04:25.006 --> 04:27.620 especially when you look at the training we have out there 04:27.620 --> 04:30.160 and for the training of the men 04:30.160 --> 04:33.083 and women of the armed forces of the three Baltic states. 04:34.270 --> 04:35.920 - [Mike] But it's not just in the Baltics 04:35.920 --> 04:38.240 where alliance members are assisting each other 04:38.240 --> 04:39.350 in this way. 04:39.350 --> 04:42.160 Italian Euro Fighters provide the air defense 04:42.160 --> 04:44.380 for Slovenia and Albania, 04:44.380 --> 04:49.210 Luxembourg and Iceland too have their skies policed by NATO. 04:49.210 --> 04:51.160 With such arrangements, the alliance 04:51.160 --> 04:53.010 is trying to balance its political 04:53.010 --> 04:56.463 and military needs in difficult economic times. 04:56.463 --> 04:58.560 I'm Mike Muehlberger reporting 04:58.560 --> 05:00.993 from Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania.