NATO will patrol the skies over Latvia and The Netherlands with AWACS surveillance aircraft to protect U.S. President George W. Bush while he visits the two countries later this week, the alliance said on Wednesday. "At the request of the Latvian and Dutch governments, NATO has agreed to provide security support from May 6 to 8 by providing AWACS for aerial coverage of George W. Bush tour to the respective countries," an alliance statement said. Bush will visit both countries before a trip to Russia on May 9 to take part in celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War Two. The surveillance missions will be flown from a base at Geilenkirchen in Germany, Reuters reported . Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft monitor airspace from onboard computers. One AWACS aircraft operating at 30,000 feet can provide radar coverage to a distance of more than 200 miles (around 360 km). NATO has deployed AWACS to cover what it calls "special events" around 20 times since 2001.
