NATO’s ‘Eastern Sentry’ begins as French Rafales arrive in Poland
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Brussels/Warsaw — 13 September 2025. NATO has launched Operation Eastern Sentry to reinforce the Alliance’s eastern flank following this week’s drone incursions into Polish airspace.
The move brings additional allied air and naval assets to the region and introduces a more flexible, integrated defensive posture along the frontier from the High North to the Black Sea.
Poland’s General Staff has released footage showing a French A400M transport aircraft landing at Mińsk Mazowiecki, east of Warsaw. According to the Polish reporting, the aircraft delivered munitions for French Rafale fighters that are now in-country. The video was published as Warsaw confirmed the start of Eastern Sentry.
France has deployed three Rafales to help defend Polish airspace; a French official indicated the jets were positioned in Poland before the mid-week incident. Denmark will contribute two F-16s and an air-defence frigate, while Germany will provide four Eurofighter Typhoons. The United Kingdom has signalled readiness to support the mission.
The Czech Republic has also announced the dispatch of a special-operations helicopter detachment, using Mi-171S/Š aircraft and up to 150 personnel, to strengthen low-altitude counter-drone defence in Poland. Prague says the unit can deploy for several months, depending on operational need.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the Alliance’s response would be “flexible and agile”, stressing that Eastern Sentry is designed to adapt quickly to emerging threats rather than fix troops or aircraft at a single point on the map. Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen Alexus Grynkewich, described the activity as multi-domain and aimed at delivering “focused deterrence and defence exactly when and where needed”.
Allied capitals moved after multiple drones crossed into Polish airspace overnight on 9–10 September. Poland and NATO aircraft shot down several of the drones, in what officials described as the first such operational shoot-down over Alliance territory since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. Moscow has denied intent to violate Polish airspace; Warsaw has rejected that explanation.
NATO’s public outline indicates that Eastern Sentry will layer air, sea and ground-based air defence, coupled with surveillance and counter-drone measures, across the eastern flank. Initial national contributions include Danish F-16s and a frigate in the Baltic region, French Rafales in Poland, and German Eurofighters. Further assets may be added as requirements develop.
Poland’s military authorities have separately introduced temporary airspace restrictions over the country’s east as investigations and recovery of drone debris continue. National command has said allied and Polish systems tracked the incursion and engaged those objects assessed to pose a threat.
The A400M arrival at Mińsk Mazowiecki underlines that forward staging for Eastern Sentry is already under way. The Polish General Staff’s clip, shared early on Saturday, shows ground handling of the French transport at the 23rd Tactical Air Base area, where allied fighters have operated in previous deployments. Polish media reporting linked the delivery to arming requirements for the Rafale detachment.
Rutte framed the initiative as an Alliance-wide effort rather than a single-country mission. NATO’s command in Mons said Eastern Sentry “enhances NATO’s presence along its eastern flank” and sits alongside existing activities in the region. Officials emphasised that the construct allows assets to shift along the arc from the Baltics through Poland to the Black Sea, making planning more difficult for potential adversaries.
Eastern Sentry begins amid ongoing Russian-Belarusian exercises and continued Russian strikes on Ukraine. NATO says the activity will continue for an undisclosed period and expand or contract as conditions require.
