Croatian ‘Hip'-series helicopters at the NATO Multinational SOF Aviation Centre in Zadar, Croatia. (Croatian MoD)

NATO Special Operations Forces (SOF) is considering how to best optimise their aviation capabilities as attention shifts from counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency campaigns to operations against peer adversaries.

Addressing the Global SOF Europe Symposium in Budapest, Hungary, on 6 October, Lieutenant Colonel René Van Riet, Royal Netherlands Air Force, NATO SOF Headquarters Air Development Programme (ADP), said SOF aviation capabilities across the alliance were not as well developed as land capabilities are.

“No, we don't have enough aviation assets,” he said. “ADP has already existed for 10 years, and we're still at the beginning of building that capability within all the countries,” he added, describing how the ADP continued to encourage NATO members to learn from partner forces operating mature Special Operations Air Task Units.

Croatian ‘Hip'-series helicopters at the NATO Multinational SOF Aviation Centre in Zadar, Croatia. (Croatian MoD)

NATO Special Operations Forces (SOF) is considering how to best optimise their aviation capabilities as attention shifts from counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency campaigns to operations against peer adversaries.

Addressing the Global SOF Europe Symposium in Budapest, Hungary, on 6 October, Lieutenant Colonel René Van Riet, Royal Netherlands Air Force, NATO SOF Headquarters Air Development Programme (ADP), said SOF aviation capabilities across the alliance were not as well developed as land capabilities are.

“No, we don't have enough aviation assets,” he said. “ADP has already existed for 10 years, and we're still at the beginning of building that capability within all the countries,” he added, describing how the ADP continued to encourage NATO members to learn from partner forces operating mature Special Operations Air Task Units.

Croatian ‘Hip'-series helicopters at the NATO Multinational SOF Aviation Centre in Zadar, Croatia. (Croatian MoD)

NATO Special Operations Forces (SOF) is considering how to best optimise their aviation capabilities as attention shifts from counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency campaigns to operations against peer adversaries.

Addressing the Global SOF Europe Symposium in Budapest, Hungary, on 6 October, Lieutenant Colonel René Van Riet, Royal Netherlands Air Force, NATO SOF Headquarters Air Development Programme (ADP), said SOF aviation capabilities across the alliance were not as well developed as land capabilities are.

“No, we don't have enough aviation assets,” he said. “ADP has already existed for 10 years, and we're still at the beginning of building that capability within all the countries,” he added, describing how the ADP continued to encourage NATO members to learn from partner forces operating mature Special Operations Air Task Units.

Croatian ‘Hip'-series helicopters at the NATO Multinational SOF Aviation Centre in Zadar, Croatia. (Croatian MoD)

NATO Special Operations Forces (SOF) is considering how to best optimise their aviation capabilities as attention shifts from counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency campaigns to operations against peer adversaries.

Addressing the Global SOF Europe Symposium in Budapest, Hungary, on 6 October, Lieutenant Colonel René Van Riet, Royal Netherlands Air Force, NATO SOF Headquarters Air Development Programme (ADP), said SOF aviation capabilities across the alliance were not as well developed as land capabilities are.

“No, we don't have enough aviation assets,” he said. “ADP has already existed for 10 years, and we're still at the beginning of building that capability within all the countries,” he added, describing how the ADP continued to encourage NATO members to learn from partner forces operating mature Special Operations Air Task Units.

Croatian ‘Hip'-series helicopters at the NATO Multinational SOF Aviation Centre in Zadar, Croatia. (Croatian MoD)

NATO Special Operations Forces (SOF) is considering how to best optimise their aviation capabilities as attention shifts from counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency campaigns to operations against peer adversaries.

Addressing the Global SOF Europe Symposium in Budapest, Hungary, on 6 October, Lieutenant Colonel René Van Riet, Royal Netherlands Air Force, NATO SOF Headquarters Air Development Programme (ADP), said SOF aviation capabilities across the alliance were not as well developed as land capabilities are.

“No, we don't have enough aviation assets,” he said. “ADP has already existed for 10 years, and we're still at the beginning of building that capability within all the countries,” he added, describing how the ADP continued to encourage NATO members to learn from partner forces operating mature Special Operations Air Task Units.

Croatian ‘Hip'-series helicopters at the NATO Multinational SOF Aviation Centre in Zadar, Croatia. (Croatian MoD)

NATO Special Operations Forces (SOF) is considering how to best optimise their aviation capabilities as attention shifts from counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency campaigns to operations against peer adversaries.

Addressing the Global SOF Europe Symposium in Budapest, Hungary, on 6 October, Lieutenant Colonel René Van Riet, Royal Netherlands Air Force, NATO SOF Headquarters Air Development Programme (ADP), said SOF aviation capabilities across the alliance were not as well developed as land capabilities are.

“No, we don't have enough aviation assets,” he said. “ADP has already existed for 10 years, and we're still at the beginning of building that capability within all the countries,” he added, describing how the ADP continued to encourage NATO members to learn from partner forces operating mature Special Operations Air Task Units.