At the end of March around 700 soldiers and civilians from 15 NATO countries practiced air defence in the Dutch municipality of Vredepeel – but only virtually. in the Dutch municipality of Vredepeel – but only virtually. At the Joint Project Optic Windmill (JPOW), the scenario to be completed was based on the defense plans of NATO.
No attack was allowed during Europe’s largest air defense exercise. Nevertheless, the JPOW can be considered a success, as exercise leader Brigadier General Peter Gielen explains: “By moving around with your systems, you can make it clear to the enemy that you can see what they are doing. This contributes to deterrence, which should help to prevent war.”
In the scenario, however, war did break out. This is how what happened in Ukraine in recent years was recorded (-> current news from the Ukraine war). The participants were therefore confronted with threats from the air, from drones to cruise missiles. The task was to take out the missiles before they reached their target.
New participants
In addition to the air defence units of the various countries, international organizations also took part. These included the Joint Forces Air Command and the headquarters of the German-Dutch Army Corps. Civilian agencies were also involved, such as the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the German Civil Defense. They addressed the question of what to do in the crisis phase. For example, if ballistic missiles threatened to hit somewhere despite the defenses.
For the first time at this year’s JPOW, the two new NATO countries Sweden and Finland were also able to connect their systems with those of NATO. Overall, Gielen said that we are on the right track as far as international cooperation is concerned. However, he noted that this was a simulated exercise: “We have virtually unlimited ammunition and systems. But we need to strengthen these capabilities in order to really get NATO’s integrated air defense in order.”
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