The chair of NATO’s Military Committee, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, visited the Ramstein Flag 2026 air exercise during a trip to Norway, Sweden and Finland.
The exercise brought Allied air forces together for two weeks of multinational training, NATO informed on Wednesday.
Admiral Cavo Dragone’s visit lasted two days and included briefings and direct observations of ongoing training missions.
Ramstein Flag 2026 involved forces from up to 18 Allied nations across three Joint Operations Areas stretching from northern Norway to southern Spain.
More than 200 aircraft and other aerial assets deployed to 20 operational locations, including main operating bases and highway strips, with Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Spain serving as primary host nations.
What the exercise focused on
The exercise trained for Integrated Air and Missile Defence — the coordination of systems that detect and intercept aircraft and missiles — as well as Counter Anti-Access/Area Denial operations, NATO said.
It also included rapid information-sharing and Agile Combat Employment, a concept that involves operating aircraft from a wider range of locations.
In a speech during the visit, Admiral Cavo Dragone said NATO must continue to invest in air capabilities and in training for the people who operate them.
“In the air domain, deterrence and defence require the integration of science, operational art, engineering, computing and human performance,” Admiral Cavo Dragone stated.
