It’s not every day when NATO, arguably the world’s strongest military alliance, is shooting down hostile aircraft in its airspace. Yet that’s exactly what occurred last week after more than a dozen Russian drones breached Poland’s airspace, which forced NATO to scramble jets to defend a member state from a potential threat. Days later, another Russian drone drifted into Romania . Although no air defenses were activated in this specific case, the two incursions have generated a wave of alarm in European capitals that Russian President Vladimir Putin is, if not trying to destroy NATO, then at least testing its durability.

The jitters in Europe are perfectly understandable. After all, never before in NATO’s 76-year history has it engaged a Russian aircraft in its own airspace. NATO Sec

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