NATO Tiger Meet begins in Southern Italy. The yearly joint exercise is among the Alliance’s most critical missions, intended to foster cooperation and facilitate the sharing of training experiences between NATO’s Air Forces. The 2023 edition took off on Tuesday at the Gioia del Colle Air Base in Apulia, home of Italy’s 36th “Fighter” Wing.
- The event brings together the Flight Groups of the different Armed Forces bearing a tiger in their coat of arms. It was first held in Italy precisely fifty years ago, in 1973.
- This year’s edition also coincides with the hundred-year anniversary of Italy’s Air Force, established in 1923.
Getting better together. This training session (technically known as a Large Force Employment) will run from October 2 to 13 and involve roughly 70 fixed-wing and ten rotary-wing aircraft, as well as several Navy assets. Over ten Allied Air Forces, plus their partners, are taking part in the exercise, which will focus on perfecting asset interoperability in air defence and interdiction missions, close air support of troops on the ground, and recovery of personnel in a hostile environment.
- According to an Italian Defence note, Tiger Meet is “one of the most important and complex international exercises aimed at improving cooperation and facilitating the sharing of training experiences among the Armed Forces of NATO member countries.”
Image: Italian Defence
