Space is woven into the way NATO operates: the navigation that guides Allied forces, the communications that connect them, and the missile warning that helps commanders understand a developing threat. Much of that support happens beyond our view. Its effects reach across the Alliance.

In this episode of The Allied Airpower Podcast, we feature the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies’ interview with U.S. Space Force Colonel Jonathan Whitaker, chief of staff of NATO’s Space Theatre Component, co-located with Allied Air Command at Ramstein, Germany. Speaking during his visit to the Marshall Center, Colonel Whitaker explores how space is changing military operations, why commanders increasingly need space expertise, and how nations with different capabilities can contribute to a shared mission.

He describes recognising space as a front in its own right, where access can be contested and capabilities can provide an operational advantage. He discusses emerging satellite architectures intended to strengthen missile warning and tactical communications, connecting developments in orbit to the practical needs of forces below. Those possibilities give commanders a reason to bring space specialists into their planning and exercises.

Listen to the full conversation for Colonel Whitaker’s perspective on NATO’s growing space mission, the value of multinational cooperation, and the opportunities ahead.

Recorded Monday, 28 September 2026.

When the Alpha Scramble order came, Lt Luis had a job to do. The adrenaline could wait.

In this episode of The Allied Airpower Podcast, Jose “Houdini” Davis speaks with Lt Luis about his first operational interception, the preparation behind it, and the people who make NATO’s Baltic Air Defence mission possible.

An Alpha Scramble is a real-world activation of NATO’s alert forces. For Spanish Lt Luis, it meant getting airborne to intercept, identify, and escort a Russian aircraft flying in international airspace. Procedures practiced repeatedly in training now guided an operational mission. His attention stayed on the tasks ahead; only after returning could he reflect on reaching a goal he had imagined since childhood.

Much of the conversation turns to the work behind that response. Maintenance, weapons, operations, communications, and support personnel keep the aircraft ready, while Allied hosts in the Baltics help sustain the deployment. Lt Luis describes the people supporting him as his “angels.” His first interception was an achievement shared by the whole Allied detachment.

The Spanish Ambar Tactical Air Detachment is currently on NATO’s Eastern Flank conducting the Air Defense mission, alongside the Turkish Air Force and their Baltic hosts. Across NATO’s Eastern Flank, Italian Eurofighters are deployed to Lithuania; Turkish F-16s to Estonia; and Spanish fighters to Romania and Estonia, as part of NATO’s robust Air Defence posture, protecting every inch of NATO Airspace.

That reliance on others also shapes what NATO means to him. Through multinational exercises, Allied pilots learn how one another’s Air Forces work, approach decisions, and prepare for missions. They build relationships alongside their operational skills.

As Lt Luis explains, one of NATO’s most valuable contributions is building trust before it is needed. That trust, developed through training and cooperation, supports the collective responsibility of defending NATO skies.

Recorded Monday, 28 September 2026.

A passenger aircraft loses radio contact with air traffic controllers. Elsewhere, a hostile missile launches towards Allied territory. These situations demand different responses, but both underscore why NATO’s Air Defence posture must be able to detect, assess, and respond to threats together.

As a defensive Alliance, NATO brings together radars, fighter jets, ground-based air and missile defence systems, and Allied warships through its Integrated Air and Missile Defence — or IAMD. Working across national borders, this network helps protect Allied territory and populations in peacetime, crisis, and conflict.

When a civilian aircraft stops communicating, ground-based and airborne radars can track its movements while fighter jets scramble to investigate. Once alongside, pilots can visually identify the aircraft, assess the situation, and, if necessary, guide it to safety.

An incoming missile requires a different response. Sensors on land, at sea, in the air, or in space can detect the threat, while NATO command posts assess its trajectory and determine an appropriate interception option. Complementary defence systems provide multiple ways to engage different threats, with ground-based systems, warships, and fighter aircraft each contributing to the wider defence.

The strength of this approach lies in integration: connecting detection, decision-making, and interception so that individual capabilities work as part of a coordinated whole.

But the threats continue to evolve.

Drones range from large military aircraft to small commercial platforms capable of causing damage and disruption, particularly when deployed in groups. Hypersonic weapons travelling at more than five times the speed of sound, with the ability to manoeuvre during flight, present further tracking and interception challenges. NATO’s new Air Defence framework addresses these modern challenges: From Air Policing to Air Defence, NATO is prepared and postured to tackle these challenges as Allies are developing capabilities to address these threats while adapting the defences already in place.

For more than six decades, NATO’s Air Defence has helped safeguard Allied skies. Its purpose remains constant: maintaining vigilance, responding to threats, and protecting the people and territory of the Alliance: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.