NATO says Ukraine has changed the face of European security and Patriot middle defence

Slovakia contributes to NATO’s forward presence in the eastern part of the Alliance, which is composed of rotating multinational and combat-ready battlegroups stationed in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Romania. Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has changed the face of European security and underlined the need for combat-ready forces to be able to deploy at speed across NATO territory.

Different NATO Allies are bringing their respective expertise to reinforce the Alliance’s deterrence and defence posture. A Dutch-German Air and Missile Defence Task Force deployed Patriot surface-to-air missile systems near Sliač Air Base, Slovakia in April to reinforce defence capabilities on NATO’s eastern flank.

The Patriot systems will contribute to the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence System (NATINAMDS), a network of interconnected sensors, command and control assets, and weapons. These ground-based defensive systems will strengthen NATO’s ability to protect NATO territory against any air and missile threat and attack. The system enables NATO to provide continuous vigilance across NATO airspace.