From Le Figaro with AFP
Published 1 hour ago, updated 1 hour ago
The NATO exercises are led by Germany. KAY NIETFELD / AFP
These exercises, led by Germany, serve for the first time to prepare for a realistic scenario within the framework of NATO defense.
A major naval military exercise with 14 NATO countries, including the USA, begins on Saturday in the Baltic Sea under the command of Germany, maneuvers in the form of a show of force in the context of the Russian war in Ukraine.
Around 30 ships and submarines, up to 19 aircraft and various land units are involved in the “Northern Coasts 23” exercise, the German Navy said in a statement on Saturday. More than 3,200 soldiers will “train in a realistic NATO defense scenario for the first time since these maneuvers began in 2007,” explained Fleet Admiral Stephan Haisch.
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In recent years, they have primarily prepared to ward off attacks by pirates, terrorists and human traffickers or to take part in international missions.
German-led exercises
The operations, which are scheduled to last until September 23, will take place mainly in the coastal waters of Estonia and Latvia, including associated land and airspace, as well as in the eastern and central parts of the Baltic Sea. These two countries of the former Soviet Union, now members of NATO, lie on the border with Russia.
The exercises are led by Admiral Haisch and his team from Rostock, a port city in northeast Germany. It was the first time that the German Navy had “planned and led maneuvers of this magnitude,” he said.
The focus of the training is particularly on the defense of ports, but also on amphibious attacks on targets on land. The aim is to optimize the cooperation between the sea, land and air forces involved, explains the Federal Navy.
The “Northern Coasts” exercises were started by Germany in 2007. Their command is assumed alternately each year by this country, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. In addition to Germany, the USA, France, Italy, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Canada, Belgium, Lithuania, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden are taking part in the 2023 edition.
Russia also regularly conducts military exercises in the Baltic Sea, most recently in August. The “Northern Coasts 23” maneuvers would not take place near Kaliningrad, the small landlocked territory in the EU that is over-armed by Moscow, to avoid any provocation, the German navy said.