NATO has announced the start of Poland's air policing mission to the Baltic states. Warsaw has participated in this detachment since the beginning of January and has therefore relieved the Czech Republic, which has been conducting the NATO operation from Amari (Estonia), since last August. F-16 fighter aircraft and 140 Polish soldiers will be mobilized over a period of 4 months.

Despite the deployment of Polish forces, the NATO mission remains under Belgian command, which directs the operation from Šiauliai, in Lithuania. Brussels will lead the operation for another 4 months, and will therefore be involved until next April.