NATO has begun the largest air force deployment exercise in the alliance's history. More than 10,000 military personnel are taking part in the training exercise, known as Air Defender 2023, which runs from June 12 to 23 in Germany. 

In all, 25 countries are taking part in the drills, which will involve more than 250 aircraft running scenarios including air-to-air combat, ground troop air defense, missile interception, anti-submarine warfare and airfield evacuation procedures. 

Around 100 of the aircraft taking part are from the U.S. and have been deployed to Europe for the drills, with the U.S. Air National Guard providing the lion's share of the fleet. 

"The goal is to exercise air operations with allied air forces," the German Air Force, which is leading the operation, said in a statement. "The focus is on optimizing and expanding cooperation among participating nations. The scenario is modeled on a NATO Article 5 assistance scenario."

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NATO's Article 5 dictates that "if a NATO ally is the victim of an armed attack, each and every other member of the alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members and will take the actions it deems necessary to assist the ally attacked."

The aircraft taking part will take off and land from air force bases in Germany, but will fly over neighboring nations including Belgium, Netherlands, Austria and Denmark. The timings of drills in each zone are being staggered in order to minimize air traffic disruption. Several airlines have warned of potential flight delays or cancellations as a result of the increased congestion over Europe's skies. 

"In close cooperation with the authorities responsible for air traffic control, the airlines and the civil airports, processes and procedures are currently being optimized to minimize the impact on civil air traffic as far as possible," said the German Air Force. 

"The latest results of the last simulation by Eurocontrol on the impact of Air Defender on civil aviation have shown that no flight cancellations are to be expected, but at most delays." 

The large-scale military exercises come as tensions remain high on the European continent following the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The German-led initiative was first initiated in 2018, however Western leaders have said tensions with Russia have added a new sense of urgency to military planning. 

"In the face of Putin's brutal war against Ukraine, such training is more important than ever," said U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Amy Gutmann.

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