Yesterday, Denmark and Sweden joined the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) coordinated by Germany.

A total of 17 countries now participate in EESI: Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, the United Kingdom, Finland, Denmark and Sweden.

Greece is currently not participating in this scheme, and neither is France, concerned about growing German influence through the program.

However, the creation of its own corresponding initiative together with Italy, aiming to utilize the anti-aircraft systems produced by the two countries’ defence industries, is not ruled out.

Denmark and Sweden have joined the European Sky Shield Initiative, coordinated by Germany.

The initiative aims to strengthen #NATO's Integrated Air and Missile Defence by facilitating multinational acquisition and integration of air defence capabilities #ESSI

— NATO (@NATO) February 15, 2023

In fact, NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoană, said that Germany’s leadership of the European Sky Shield Initiative, building on NATO’s existing cooperation frameworks, is a critical step to ensure that NATO can defend itself effectively from air and missile threats.

Part of ESSI’s planned multinational acquisition of air defence systems will be conducted through a Rapid Acquisition Track under NATO’s Modular Ground-Based Air Defence High Visibility Project.

Ten Allied Defence Ministers launched this effort yesterday alongside the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and associated funding commitments.

In particular, the aim is to carry out joint procurement of air defence equipment systems with Germany directing the purchases of joint systems.

More generally, the initiative aims to strengthen NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence by facilitating the multinational acquisition and integration of a wide range of air defence capabilities by European countries.

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