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Apr 9 2025

NCIA supports NATO readiness and Allied air force training in Exercise Ramstein Flag 25

From 31 March to 11 April 2025, Exercise Ramstein Flag 25 is taking place at Leeuwarden Air Base, Netherlands, and other bases across the Alliance. Approximately 1,000 participants from 14 Allied Nations are contributing, demonstrating the Alliance’s commitment to collective air defence.

Sponsored by NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM), Ramstein Flag 25 is a large-scale, tactical-level live-fly exercise to train, demonstrate and strengthen combined warfare capabilities including agile combat employment, integrated air and missile defence and counter anti-access and area denial in a simulated Article 5 scenario. The exercise aims to bolster multi-domain operations, interoperability, and rapid response capabilities among Allied forces.

As one of AIRCOM’s largest exercises this year, Ramstein Flag 25 features over 90 Allied fighter jets, including F-35s, Rafales, Eurofighters, Gripens, F-16s, and F-18s, conducting advanced combat scenarios as part of AIRCOM’s Premier Flag Series exercise.

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) has played a crucial role in ensuring the exercise runs smoothly by providing critical technical support during the exercise set up. This effort includes set up and connection of communication and information systems (CIS), for server and router hardware, and collaboration tools and messaging platforms software. NCIA also configured and tested the network to ensure everything works accurately under real-world conditions, including stress testing for reliability and bandwidth.

Experts from NCIA’s CIS Support Unit (CSU) based in Ramstein, Germany, delivered extended hours of support, monitoring and troubleshooting of Air Command and Control Information Systems (AIRC2IS) as well as important applications for communication during the exercise.

“Exercises like Ramstein Flag, are vital for improving interoperability and readiness,” stated Darius Zibalis, NCIA Exercise Project Manager. “The exercise allows us to practise resolving real-world simulated challenges, so that we are ready to face an uncertain future in this rapidly evolving global security landscape.”

Ramstein Flag demonstrates the Alliance’s air power which is a fundamental pillar in NATO’s core tasks of deterrence and defence. NCIA remains ready to support technical CIS requirements to ensure operations run efficiently as Allies train and strengthen their capabilities during exercises.