Source: United States Navy
Nineteen NATO Allies, more than 50 ships, more than 85 aircraft, and approximately 9,000 personnel will participate in BALTOPS 2024. With four Amphibious Task Groups and Multinational Task Units taking part, this is set to be the largest assembled coalition of amphibious forces in the Baltic Sea, as well as the largest assembled coalition of Mine Countermeasure forces in NATO. In addition, this year will feature naval assets assigned to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command – the first time in recent history an asset tied to the Pacific theater has participated within the U.S. Navy Europe area of operations.
Started in 1972, BALTOPS is an annual exercise that visibly demonstrates NATO’s commitment to preserving regional peace and security by exercising a team of international forces that can rapidly respond in a time of crisis.
Participating nations include Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Of note, though Sweden has participated in BALTOPS for more than a decade, this year will mark the first time Sweden will participate in the exercise as a member-nation and NATO Ally. BALTOPS remains an alliance proving ground, and is vital for honing the leading edge of combined interoperability with allied and partner nations, in and around the Baltic Sea.
BALTOPS 24 is also part of the U.S. Department of Defense exercise series, Large Scale Global Exercise (LSGE). LSGE is an umbrella term that incorporates several exercises and military activities, which enable the U.S. Joint Force to train with Allies and partners and improve shared understanding, trust and interoperability on security challenges across the globe.
Details of BALTOPS activities and imagery are available at http://www.c6f.navy.mil. Media interested in covering the exercise should contact the U.S. Naval Forces Europe Public Affairs Office at mail to: cne_cna_c6fpao@us.navy.mil