“We are scared,” the landlady of her hotel confided to her, the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan visited Šiauliai, Lithuania, on October 25. The fighter pilot had come to carry out a reconnaissance on the spot, before taking command of the French detachment projected on this air base in northern Lithuania. Since December 1, the 30th fighter squadron of Mont-de-Marsan has been carrying out an air policing mission there for NATO and for the benefit of the three Baltic countries, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Russia’s declaration of war on Ukraine almost a year ago has rekindled fears among the population of this former Soviet bloc country of almost three million inhabitants. “Our presence is extremely important for the Lithuanians, as for the other two Baltic countries, continues Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan. They are very concerned and supportive of what is happening in Ukraine, it is on their doorstep, and they are convinced that if Ukraine ever falls, they will be next, so the Lithuanians are reassured to have us here. The Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda “came himself to meet the heads of foreign detachments present in his country, and sent us really sincere thanks” emphasizes the French officer.
Reinforced presence since February 24, 2002
Since 2004, the Alliance has deployed air policing capabilities to preserve the sovereignty of the airspace of the three Baltic countries. In 2014, after the annexation of Crimea by Russia, these measures were reinforced and called enhanced Air Policing (eAP), measures also including additional fighter jets supplementing the air policing capabilities of Bulgaria and Romania. The objective was to “demonstrate the collective determination of the Allies, and to deter Russia from attacking or threatening to attack the NATO Allies”, explains the Alliance.
Two Allied detachments (currently Poland with four F-16s and France with four Rafales) are now based at Šiauliai, supplemented by a detachment (currently Germany with four Eurofighters) at Ämari in Estonia. They are checked every four months.
Since the start of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, NATO has strengthened its deterrent and defensive posture on the entire eastern flank of Europe. The French armies have mobilized to participate in this reinforcement, on earth as in the sky. For example, Rafales and tankers from Mont-de-Marsan and Istres have been carrying out “one-day” air policing missions in the Polish sky since February 24. In Romania, 500 soldiers were deployed on February 28, and in May, France sent a MAMBA ground-to-air defense system there, where it is regularly tested.
Lithuania “is a bit of a thumbs-up against the Russian ogre”
This deployment “non-aggressively maintains a firm, but non-escalatory position vis-à-vis Russia,” it is said within the French General Staff. In the Baltic sky, the French Rafales have thus “intercepted” since December a dozen Russian aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea, to ensure that they had no “hostile intention. “An essential role for Lithuania, devoid of fighter aircraft and with an army made up of 21,000 soldiers, including 12,000 professionals. “It’s a bit like the little thumb facing the Russian ogre, who could overthrow them with a single blow of his paw” sums up an officer on the spot.
After the declaration of independence in 1990, and the departure of Russian troops from its soil in 1993, the priority for Lithuania was not to rebuild an army, but to restore its economy. Since 2008 and Russia’s intervention in Georgia, it has once again had the will to defend itself. After 2014 and the annexation of Crimea, she thus restored military service. It has also just increased its defense budget to 3%, bringing it to two billion euros for 2023. The Baltic state has also just confirmed the purchase, for 150 million euros, of 18 Caesar guns of the latest generation (a 155 mm gun mounted on a truck capable of firing six rounds per minute at a distance of 40 kilometres). This is the largest arms order placed with France.
France is today a weighty ally of Lithuania. And even if the Rafale pilots of the BA118 from Mont-de-Marsan are more accustomed to operational missions to destroy ground targets in support of ground troops in Iraq or Syria, within the framework of Operation Chammal, “when we come here to protect the airspace, we understand the meaning and the importance of our mission in view of the reactions of the Lithuanians”, supports Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan.