News archive (2004 - 04)

On Monday, 29 March 2004, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia officially became NATO-members. With the accession, General James L. Jones, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, assumed responsibility to safeguard the new NATO members, including the defence of their airspace. SACEUR has delegated this authority for Romania, Bulgaria and Slovenia to the Commander of Allied Air Forces South, and the authority for the Baltic States and Slovakia to General Robert H. Foglesong, Commander, Allied Air Forces North (AIRNORTH), headquartered in Ramstein/Germany

Simultaneously, COMAIRNORTH has taken on the responsibilities as Regional Air Commander, Regional Air Defence Commander, and Regional Airspace Control Authority for the Baltic States and Slovakia just as previously for the other nations in NATO's Northern region.

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On Friday, 2 April, at 1115hrs in Vilnius, shortly after an official flag-raising ceremony on Independence Square a military technical equipment parade will start.

This is to be a symbolic event, when to celebrate accession of Lithuania to NATO, the Algirdas Battalion, the first Lithuanian military unit, trained for involvement in a full spectrum of military operations alongside NATO forces outside the territory of Lithuania, will be presented to the general society.

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