Astral Knight 24 to exercise U.S. EUCOM’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense
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A Multi-national military exercise, called Astral Knight 2024, kicked off Monday, in Europe. It is focused on exercising Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) and the incremental development of theater-wide security capabilities
The exercise, slated to run through May 18, is U.S. European Command’s capstone IAMD exercise and falls under the Department of Defense’s broader exercise program called Large Scale Global Exercise 2024.
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 defense capabilities of NATO Allies and partners across Europe," said Gen. James Hecker, U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa and NATO Allied Air Command commander. “By fostering early collaboration and integration in air and missile defense efforts among USAFE-AFAFRICA and NATO nations, we enhance our ability to deter and respond effectively to shared threats.”
USAFE-AFAFRICA has 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 defense capabilities across the European theater and allow the U.S. and Allies to test command and control relationships.
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
USAFE-AFAFRICA has enhanced IAMD systems by incorporating offensive and defensive measures across multiple components to create a comprehensive Allied force, capable of preventing an enemy from successfully employing offensive air and missile weapons to attack NATO sovereignty
The final layer of IAMD is Air Base Air Defense (ABAD), which recognizes the importance of protecting Allied bases from attacks. The defense of main operating bases, such as Ramstein Air Base, requires officials to consider and be prepared to defend against evolving capabilities including the proliferation of cruise missiles and drones
Today, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa kicks off multi-national exercise #AstralKnight24, focusing on Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) & theater-wide security capabilities development. This is USEUCOM's capstone #IAMD exercise & part of the @DeptofDefense’s Large Scale Global Exercise. 🌐🛡️ #LSGE24
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Astral Knight 24 to exercise U.S. EUCOM’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense
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