The new air defense systems that NATO member states will benefit from through the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) are „fully interoperable and seamlessly integrated into the allied air and anti-missile defense system and will significantly boost the Alliance’s defense capability” against all air and missile threats, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said on Thursday, on the occasion of the signing ceremony of Letter of Intent for the development of the European Sky Shield Initiative, which took place at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Alliance in Brussels, according to Agerpres.

Fourteen NATO member states, including Romania, and Finland, on Thursday signed a letter of intent for the development of ESSI.

„This commitment is even more crucial today as we witness Russia’s relentless and indiscriminate missile attacks in Ukraine, killing civilians and destroying critical infrastructure. In this context, I strongly welcome Germany’s leadership in launching the European Sky Shield Initiative,” said Mircea Geoana, quoted by nato.int.

Agerpres