From June 5 to 20, the 54th maritime NATO-Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) will take place in the Baltic Sea for the 54th time. This year, around 50 ships and boats, more than 25 aircraft and around 9,000 soldiers from 17 countries will take part in the exercise.
This year, the exercise will start for the first time in the Hanseatic and university city of Rostock. BALTOPS ends almost traditionally every year in the naval port of Kiel, right at the start of Kiel Week.
NATO’s annual US-led naval exercise offers a “unique opportunity to strengthen alliance-wide cooperation and interoperability while demonstrating a robust deterrent”, according to a recent press release. The exercises will include amphibious operations, air defense and anti-submarine warfare, the use of unmanned systems, mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage operations. There will also be numerous firing exercises.
The Commander Task Force Baltic stationed in Rostock, who works closely with the maneuver management, is an essential part of the exercise management. From the German Navy corvettes “Braunschweig” and “Magdeburg”, the frigate “Bayern”, the task force provider “Frankfurt am Main”, the minehunter “Datteln”, the tender “Mosel”, the survey boat “Stollergrund” and the maritime patrol aircraft P-3C Orion are taking part.
This year, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, the UK and the USA are taking part in BALTOPS.
Here for further reports on the Bundeswehr, here to further reports about the US Armed Forces and here to further reports on NATO.
