As they watch the ongoing Russian missile and drone barrages in Ukraine, 15 nations have formed the European Sky Shield Initiative.
The initiative will allow all participating nations to jointly develop an air defense system using interoperable, off-the-shelf solutions, according to a NATO media release. "This multinational and multifaceted approach offers a flexible and scalable way for nations to strengthen their deterrence and defense in an efficient and cost-effective way," NATO said.
ESSI “aims to enable European allies to procure these much-needed capabilities better and faster, and to optimize their costs,” said NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană during a press briefing after the signing ceremony. “It should also bring synergy among the allies with similar requirements, covering the full spectrum of the air and missile defense needs. It should promote interoperability and integration with each other and with NATO's integrated air and missile defense.”(..)
P.S. Better late than never to make the right decisions! Since 2014, European countries had more than enough time and resources to significantly improve the continent's air defense capabilities, but thanks to several corrupt groups of politicians and businessmen, almost nothing significant was done...
