During the NATO Defense Ministers meeting that was held in Brussels, Belgium, on March 16, 2022, the Government of the Netherlands has confirmed the sending of Patriot air defense missile systems to Sliac, Slovakia, as part of NATO moves to strengthen air defenses in Eastern Europe. Germany has also announced the sending of two Patriot missile systems to Slovakia.
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German army launcher unit of Patriot air defense missile system. (Picture source German army)
In the wake of Russia’s invasion, NATO has reinforced its presence in the eastern part of the Alliance and Mr. Stoltenberg welcomed the contribution made by Germany, citing the deployment of additional troops to Lithuania and fighter jets to Romania. “This is part of NATO’s swift, decisive, and united response to this fundamental change in our security”, he said.
The Netherlands armed forces started operating the Patriot system in 1987 and the system has been modernized since that time. Dutch air defense personnel work closely with their German counterparts. The Dutch Patriots were previously deployed in 1991 during the First Gulf War. They were deployed again in 2003 during the subsequent Gulf War. The last time that the Patriots were stationed outside the Netherlands was in the period 2013 until the beginning of 2015, when the air defense systems, together with over 200 military personnel, were in southern Turkey to protect the country against ballistic missiles from Syria.
According to a statement published by the German MoD on March 17, 2022, Germany has approved the deployment of an undisclosed number of Patriot air defense missile systems to Slovakia. In February 2022, it was announced the deployment of a NATO BattleGroup in Slovakia, including 1,200 foreign troops from the United States, Germany, Netherlands, and Slovakia.
Soldiers from Germany will support the multinational Battlegroup and the integrated NATO air defense with their Patriot air defense missile system.
According to the military balance 2020, Germany has a total of 20 MIM-104C/F Patriot PAC-2/PAC-3 air defense missile systems while the army of the Netherlands has 18 MIM-104D/F Patriot PAC-2 GEM/PAC-3.
The Patriot MIM-104 is an American-made long-range, all-altitude, all-weather air defense system using surface-to-air missiles to destroy tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and advanced aircraft up to an altitude of 20 km and a range of 60 km. The new PAC-3 missile has increased effectiveness against tactical ballistic and cruise missiles through the use of advanced hit-to-kill technology.
