BALTOPS Exercise

NATO kicked off nearly a two-week United States-led naval exercise on the Baltic Sea, including two aspiring to join the military alliance, Finland and Sweden.

BALTOPS naval exercise:

• BALTIC OPERATIONS (BALTOPS) is an annual military exercise.
• The annual BALTOPS exercise was initiated in 1972.
• BALTOPS is the premier maritime-led exercise in the Baltic Sea region and one of the largest exercises in northern Europe.
• Its purpose is to improve maritime security in the region through partnership and the sharing of resources, and to enhance cooperation among the Baltic States.
• The exercise also makes an excellent opportunity to test the skills and capabilities of the participating nations and – crucially – their ability to work together.

BALTOPS 22:

• The host of the BALTOPS 22 exercise is Sweden.
• A total of 14 NATO nations, including Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States will participate, Kirby said.
• Additionally, NATO partner nations Finland and Sweden will also participate this year — both nations have recently applied to join NATO.
• BALTOPS 22 is scheduled to end in the German port of Kiel.