Dutch, Norwegian F-35s to guard Ukraine supply lines in Poland

PARIS — Dutch and Norwegian F-35 fighter jets will be stationed in Poland under NATO command to protect supplies of equipment to Ukraine, the Dutch defense ministry said.

The Dutch F-35s will be based in Poland from the start of September to the start of December, following a request from NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, or SHAPE, the Netherlands’ Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Monday.

“It is essential that we contribute to the defense of NATO territory and the security of Europe,” Dutch Minister of Defense Ruben Brekelmans said in the statement. “We are once again doing so with our most advanced capabilities.”

Deploying the Dutch F-35s to monitor airspace above Eastern Europe will protect military equipment intended for Ukraine , Brekelmans said. Stationing the jets in Poland will also allow for a quick response to violations or imminent violations of NATO airspace, according to the minister.

“In this way, we are literally keeping the Russian threat at bay,” Brekelmans said. “Recently, in Estonia, the deployment of our F-35s has proven to be very effective in this regard.”

The Netherlands deployed a detachment of F-35s to Ämari Air Base in Estonia in December for air-policing duties.

The Dutch force in Poland will cooperate as a combined detachment with Norwegian F-35s, with the countries dividing the personnel and material capabilities, the MoD said. The deployment will function as a quick-reaction alert force, on a 24-hour readiness basis.

The jets will operate under direct NATO command following a transfer of authority for the duration of the deployment, Brekelmans wrote in a letter to parliament.

Military equipment donated by NATO countries to Ukraine must reach its destination safely, and contributing to air defense in Poland will allow the alliance to safely carry out ground-based activities in support of the Ukrainian war effort, Brekelmans said.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——荷兰国防部表示，荷兰和挪威的F-35战斗机将驻扎在波兰，接受北约指挥，以保护向乌克兰运送的装备。

荷兰国防部周一发表声明称，应北约欧洲盟军最高司令部（SHAPE）的要求，荷兰的F-35战机将于9月初至12月初驻扎在波兰。

荷兰国防大臣鲁本·布雷克尔曼斯在声明中表示：“为保卫北约领土和维护欧洲安全做出贡献至关重要。我们再次运用最先进的能力履行这一职责。”

布雷克尔曼斯表示，部署荷兰F-35战机监视东欧上空空域将保护运往乌克兰的军事装备。他还指出，将这些战机部署在波兰也能对北约空域的侵犯或即将发生的侵犯行为做出快速反应。

布雷克尔曼斯说：“这样一来，我们实际上就有效地遏制了俄罗斯的威胁。最近在爱沙尼亚，我们部署F-35战机的行动已经证明在这方面非常有效。”

12 月，荷兰向爱沙尼亚的阿马里空军基地部署了一个 F-35 分遣队，执行空中警戒任务。

荷兰国防部表示，驻波兰的荷兰部队将与挪威的F-35战机组成联合分遣队进行合作，两国将分担人员和物资投入。此次部署将作为一支快速反应警戒部队，保持24小时战备状态。

布雷克尔曼斯在给议会的一封信中写道，在部署期间，这些战机将在权力移交后直接在北约指挥下运行。

布雷克尔曼斯表示，北约国家捐赠给乌克兰的军事装备必须安全抵达目的地，而为波兰的防空做出贡献将使北约能够安全地开展地面活动，以支持乌克兰的战争努力。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。