By joining NATO Slovenia entered the NATO Integrated Air Defence System (NATINADS) performed by the states with their own capabilities, mainly of their own air space. For the states which do not have the necessary capabilities, as for example Slovenia, Nato performs air policing with the equipment volunteered by the other members of the alliance.
The similar case as Slovenia are the Baltic states for which the monitoring of their air space is performed by several Nato members from Šiauliai Airport in Lithuania (USA, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Romania, Denmark…), and Albania where the Italians took responsibility for monitoring the air space.
The Hungarians and the Italians will take turns over Slovenia
The Ministry of Defence explains that the Hungarians are not protecting the Slovenian sky yet. "The Hungarian air force will join air control operations over the territory of the Republic of Slovenia only after the agreement between the governments of Hungary and the Republic of Slovenia, harmonized in 2013, is signed by both ministers of defence, probably in January of this year," is announced by the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, but they also point out that Slovenia will monitor its sky independently as well, by its own survey radars.
The Hungarian air forces will, according to the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, alternate air policing with the Italian air forces over the entire territory of Slovenia.
Hungary applied for air policing of the Slovenian sky already in 2004, but as at that time their fighter aircrafts were leased from Sweden – the lease should be extended before long – and the Swedes demanded at least a part of the payment was settled before allowing the use of aircrafts for such purposes.