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Europe/US: Anti Missile Air Defence for southern Europe tested

01 November 2001

Immediately before the attacks on 11 September US, German and Dutch forces exercised for the first time a deployable air and missile defence system on NATO's southern flank. The Dutch?sponsored exercise "Joint Project Optic Windmill VI" used US Navy facilities at Sigonella in Sicily during the first half of September. An expeditionary task force in a crisis response environment, involving over 1,000 personnel (495 Americans, 250 Dutch, 245 Germans and NATO liaison officers) was assembled. For observers it was obvious that Optic Windmill was focused on defending targets throughout Italy against air and missile attacks originating form Northern Africa. The exercise threat nations "Sandasia", "Smalania" and "Romulia" coincided on the map with the real?world nations of Libya, Tunisia and Algeria. The "hostile" nations were described in such terms as "Islamic dictatorship", "extreme nationalist and Islamic" and "unstable?Islamic guerrillas". To counter the threat from chemical and Cruise missile forces operating with former Soviet Union, Chinese, Korean and Pakistan technology, the defending forces used Patriot batteries, a US Navy Aegis destroyer and German operations and control centres. Having started on 27 August, the exercise was cut short by the real?world terrorist attacks in the US.

International Defense Review October 2001 (JJL)<>

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