NATO’s largest naval drills in Baltic Sea wrap up

NATO concluded its BALTOPS24 military exercises in the Baltic Sea, involving over 50 ships, 45 aircraft, and 9,000 personnel.

The exercises, lasting over two weeks, saw participation from 20 NATO member countries, according to media reports.

Activities included convoy operations, anti-submarine warfare, port defense, and amphibious landings.

This year marked the first BALTOPS since Finland and Sweden joined NATO. Exercises spanned the Baltic basin and land areas in Lithuania, Germany, Sweden, and Poland, including parachute jumps and amphibious landings at Ustka’s Central Air Force Training Range.

The 17-day exercises involved over 50 various class ships. The largest was the USS New York, which docked in Gdynia, northern Poland.

Poland's Navy was represented by the 3rd Ship Flotilla and 8th Coastal Defense Flotilla, including the missile frigate ORP General K. Pułaski, tanker ORP Bałtyk, minesweeper ORP Necko, and the transport-mining ship ORP Poznań, which carried Romanian marines and soldiers from the 7th Coastal Defense Brigade.

The U.S. Navy has organized these exercises for over 50 years, initially showcasing NATO's strength and defending the Danish Straits against the Warsaw Pact. Post-Berlin Wall, the focus shifted to integrating aspiring NATO members, inviting former Eastern Bloc countries like Poland from 1993.

News.Az