German defence minister visits military exercise in Alaska

Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Alaska on Sunday ahead of a NATO summit in Washington to learn about the progress of Arctic Defender, a German-led multinational military exercise.

"We Europeans are taking responsibility within the NATO alliance for the security and defence of Europe," Pistorius said.

Arctic Defender, he said, was a clear signal, in particular from Germany, intended to demonstrate awareness for the threats facing not just Europe but the Arctic as well, a region of growing geostrategic importance when it comes to dealing with Russia.

Arctic Defender involves fighter pilots from several countries training in Alaska alongside the US to practice air warfare operations to NATO standards.

Some 60 fighter jets as well as other tanker aircraft, transporters and helicopters are participating in the exercise. They are practising destroying enemy air defences, fighting against air forces and destroying command centres. They are also conducting low-level flights at an altitude of only around 30 metres - preferably under enemy radar - and the dropping of precision bombs.

The exercise scenario assumes an attack on allied territory, which would trigger a response from the Western defence alliance under Article 5 of the NATO treaty.

According to Article 5 of the NATO founding treaty, an attack on one member of the defence alliance "shall be considered an attack against them all."

The Arctic Defender exercise is part of the large-scale Pacific Skies 24 training complex which started in mid-June.

Pacific Skies will see the German Air Force deploying aircraft far beyond Europe, with 30 fighter jets, helicopters, transport and tanker aircraft taking part in a total of five individual exercises by mid-August: Arctic Defender in Alaska, Nippon Skies in Japan, Pitch Black in Australia, Tarang Shakti Phase 1 in India and RIMPAC in Hawaii.

The German Air Force has dubbed it the "largest and most challenging deployment to date."

The NATO summit, which will include celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of the defence alliance, begins in Washington on Tuesday.

Pistorius said the aim of the summit was to further expand NATO's defence and deterrence capabilities

In Alaska, the minister also announced further German military aid for Ukraine, including funds for 10,000 rounds of artillery ammunition to be provided this year via a Czech ammunition scheme for Ukraine.

Germany would also "present a drone initiative in Washington that will provide our partners with a basis for the joint procurement of all types of German-made drones for the Ukrainian armed forces," said Pistorius.

"A lot is expected of Germany and rightly so," he added. "We are the largest economy in Europe, the largest NATO ally in Europe. We therefore have a special responsibility to assume, and we are doing so."