After the violation of Estonian airspace by russian MiG-31 fighters for 12 minutes on September 19, countries bordering russia began to adjust their security protocols. For example, Lithuania's parliament decided to simplify and speed up decision-making against russian aircraft, allowing the military to counter intruders without waiting for a political order.
At the same time, Lithuania only has a fragmented air defense system, consisting of several NASAMS batteries and MANPADS. The country has no combat aviation of its own, so the main responsibility for intercepting airspace violators falls on the NATO Air Policing mission. Currently, eight Spanish Eurofighter Typhoons are deployed on a rotational basis at the Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania.
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Following a joint visit by Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles and Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė to the base, a brief exchange highlighted the complexity of the situation. According to Infodefensa, Lithuania's minister said she had asked her Spanish counterpart to authorize Spanish pilots to shoot down russian aircraft if necessary.
However, when Robles was asked directly whether she would give such permission, she replied that she had never received an official request for expanding the Air Policing mission and reiterated several times that NATO's core purpose is deterrence.
From a Defense Express perspective, this may be all one needs to know about NATO: in practice, any alliance serves as an addition, not the foundation, of national defense. It also underscores how fragile reliance on allies can be. Concrete steps to strengthen NATO's eastern flank under the new Eastern Sentinel mission will only be decided on October 6, during a meeting of member states' representatives.
Notably, Spain's defense stance did not change even after Robles' own plane temporarily lost satellite navigation while flying near russias Kaliningrad region, reportedly due to russian electronic warfare activity.
According to the schedule, Spain is responsible for Baltic air defense until March 2026. The current Eurofighter detachment will complete its mission in November this year, after which it will be replaced by F/A-18s.
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