The Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission is a NATO air defence Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) with the objective of protecting the airspace over the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. A lack of financial means to sustain the combat air forces needed to patrol Baltic airspace has forced these nations to seek external assistance. Since they joined NATO in March 2004, the task has fallen to a rotating mix of aircraft from NATO members, based out of the First Air Force Base at Zokniai/Siauliai International Airport in Lithuania. From 2014, that location has been supplemented by the Amari Air Base in Estonia and rotations, initially conducted on a three-month basis, have now been extended to four. Usual deployments consist of four fighter aircraft with 50-100 support personnel. Belgian Air Force F-16AM FALCONs were the first aircraft to conduct the 24/7 BAP mission, with effect from 30 March 2004.
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