The Drive:

As Russia continues to pummel Ukrainian cities with missile and drone strikes, defense ministers of 14 NATO countries and Finland agreed to form a common air defense procurement and deployment alliance called the “European Sky Shield Initiative” (ESSI).

The effort, spearheaded by Germany, is designed to create a European air and missile defense system “through the common acquisition of air defense equipment and missiles by European nations,” NATO announced Thursday.

“With this initiative, we are living up to our joint responsibility for security in Europe – by bundling our resources,” German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said during a ceremony at NATO’s Brussels headquarters where 14 countries signed a letter of intent, according to Reuters.

The initiative will allow all participating nations to jointly develop an air defense system using interoperable, off-the-shelf solutions, according to a NATO media release. “This multinational and multifaceted approach offers a flexible and scalable way for nations to strengthen their deterrence and defense in an efficient and cost-effective way,” NATO said.

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