NATO's rotating Baltic Air Policing mission has been in force in the region since 2004, and sees allied countries deploy fighter aircraft to patrol the airspace.

The decision to upgrade the mission was made by NATO allies at this week's summit in Ankara, Turkey.

Pevkur told ERR that the average person will not notice any big changes: aircraft will continue flying and air policing will continue.

"In substance, the change is that NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) will receive broader authority, and the powers granted to pilots will also be clarified. More flexibility and faster response times have been introduced," he said.

For example, it will no longer be necessary to consult at the political level before shooting down a drone that has strayed into NATO airspace.

"The rules of engagement may differ from country to country, but NATO's overall framework is in place. Under NATO's framework, NATO's Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem has the authority to make those decisions, unless national restrictions apply. Those restrictions have long been known. In the vast majority of cases, all authority has been delegated by SACEUR to the air operations centre," Pevkur said.

The minister stressed that operational speed is what matters.

"First, we have granted certain pre-authorisations," Pevkur said. "Second, it is important that pilots no longer need to communicate with the capital. The command center is the one that says we first identify the flying object, for example using radar. The pilot then identifies it visually, and once it has been confirmed that collateral damage on the ground can be avoided or minimised, there are no longer any restrictions preventing the pilot from pressing the button."

Estonia's Ämari Air Base will now change in status from an auxiliary base of the original Baltic Air Policing base in Šiauliai, Lithuania, to a designated NATO operational air base.

The number of aircraft permanently stationed at Ämari will remain unchanged in the coming years, unless there is a need to rapidly reinforce the deployment, Pevkur said.

He added that rotations for the next three years have already been agreed.

Goal achieved

The news was first reported by newspaper, Postimees, on Wednesday morning.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) told the outlet that Estonia has been working towards this goal since last year's 12-minute-long Russian fighter jet incursion into Estonian airspace.

"We also set the goal of transforming our air policing mission into an air defense mission," the foreign minister said, adding: "And that is exactly what we have achieved here."

The #NATOSummit delivered concrete results for Estonia.

NATO is transitioning the Baltic Air Policing mission into an air defence mission, giving the Alliance greater flexibility and faster response to air threats.

At the same time, Ämari Air Base will become an official NATO… pic.twitter.com/5YBmv4qoJC

— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) July 8, 2026

This article was updated to add additional comments from Hanno Pevkur.

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