NATO to hold Baltic Sea exercises simulating Russian attack
NATO countries will begin major naval exercises in the Baltic Sea on September 9, Reuters reported. The exercises will involve 30 ships and over 3,000 Western troops, who will simulate for the first time repelling a Russian attack in the region.
The two-week exercise will train troops from all NATO countries bordering the Baltic Sea, as well as Sweden and non-Baltic allies the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. They will practise amphibious operations and shore landings.
"We are sending a clear message of vigilance to Russia: not under our watch. Credible deterrence must include the ability to attack," Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack told reporters in Berlin.
The U.S. Navy will send a ship over 200 metres long, designed to carry and land about 800 Marines in an amphibious assault.
Securing maritime routes through the Baltic Sea is another focus of the exercise, which will take place off the coasts of Latvia and Estonia.
"Finland and the Baltic states are almost 100% dependent on maritime supply routes through the Baltic Sea. In the event that the Suwalki Gap is blocked - and this can be done easily, as there are only two roads and one railway line - then we only have the maritime routes and we will have to make our way there," Kaack said.
The Suwalki Gap, a narrow land corridor of about 65 kilometres, is the only point that connects the Baltic states to Poland and the main NATO territory in Europe.
Finland joined NATO this year, and Sweden's application for membership is expected to be approved soon. The two countries' applications to join NATO were made against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This has radically changed the strategic posture along the Baltic Sea, where much of the coast belonged to neutral states since the Napoleonic era. Apart from the small portions of the coast of Russia, the entire coast of the sea will soon belong to NATO members.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
