German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks with a serviceman as he stands aboard the frigate Mecklenburg-Vorpommern during his visit of the German Navy during a military maneuver in the Baltic Sea near Rostock-Warnemünde, northeastern Germany, on June 5, 2023.
Against the backdrop of escalating tensions between Western powers and Russia over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, a significant German-led naval exercise commenced in the Baltic Sea.
BERLIN. SEPTEMBER 9, 2023. Western allies kicked off a major naval exercise in the Baltic Sea on Saturday, amid rising tensions with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. About 3,200 soldiers from 14 countries are taking part in the German-led Northern Coasts 23 exercise, the German Navy said in a statement.
German Rear Admiral Stephan Haisch says he is confident that participants in large-scale naval maneuvers set to begin next week in the Baltic Sea are well prepared.
For the first time, the two-week naval drills — led this year by Germany — revolve around an alliance defense scenario.
Haisch was quoted by dpa on September 8 as saying he did not expect any provocation by the Russian Navy during the exercises and said there are ways to communicate if they get too close to each other at sea.
Russian naval ships have continued to behave normally in the Baltic Sea despite higher tensions with the West due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he said.
The exercises, dubbed Northern Coasts, involve more than 3,000 military personnel from 14 different countries, according to the German Navy.
German Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack said on September 6 at a press conference in the Baltic Sea port of Rostock that the exercises send “a clear signal of vigilance from all partners to Russia.”
Germany will command the drills from its new maritime headquarters in Rostock, which just reached operational readiness. Germany aims to provide the facility to NATO as a regional maritime headquarters capable of leading the alliance’s operations in the Baltic Sea in case of a conflict.
The annual naval exercises have taken place since 2007 with Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland alternating as lead planners. Italy, France, Canada, and the United States are among the 14 countries expected to join the maneuvers.
About 30 ships, including a submarine, as well as roughly 20 aircraft and various landing units will train primarily in the coastal waters of Estonia and Latvia and the central Baltic Sea.
According to Haisch, the biggest challenge is the logistics involved in coordinating with so many units.
U.S. Marines and sailors arrived in Riga on September 7 and were to begin offloading equipment and personnel in preparation for their participation in the exercises, a spokeswoman for the 26th. Marine Expeditionary Unit said in a news release.
“The Marines and sailors of the 26th. Bravo Command are excited to be here in Latvia as well as demonstrate our warfighting proficiency and competency during Northern Coasts 2023,” Lieutenant Colonel Josef Wiese, the officer in charge of the Marines aboard the USS Mesa Verde, added in the news release.
The Mesa Verde is more than 200 meters long and is designed to transport and land some 800 Marines in an amphibious assault.
“The Marines and sailors are looking forward to integrating and building trust with the German Sea Battalion on board as well as showcasing their interoperability and interdependence with our allies and partners in the 6th. Fleet area of responsibility,” Weise said.
Latvian Navy chief Maris Polencs told dpa that Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine had led to a new evaluation of possible threats. He also spoke of the need to invest more time and money in equipment and operational readiness.
Meanwhile, Romania and the United States are organizing multinational military exercises called Sea Breeze 23 in the Black Sea and the Danube River delta, the press service of the Romanian Navy said.
In addition to the U.S. and Romania, military personnel from Ukraine, Bulgaria, France, Britain, and Turkey will take part in the training, expected to take place on September 11-15.
“The main purpose of the exercise is to develop operational-tactical interoperability between the participating countries in the field of combating explosive devices, in particular drifting sea mines, in order to ensure freedom of navigation,” the Romanian Navy said.
The exercise from Sept 9 to 23 will involve 30 ships, submarines, up to 19 aircraft and various landing units, it said.
“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has radically altered the security situation in the Baltic Sea,” said North Atlantic Treaty Organisation spokesman Dylan White.
This year, for the first time, “a realistic scenario is being practised within the framework of alliance defence,” according to the German navy.
The exercise will take place off the coasts and on the territory of Latvia and Estonia.
Incidents involving Russian and Western aircraft have multiplied over the Black Sea and Baltic Sea during Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
Moscow said in May that it had intercepted four US strategic bombers above the Baltic Sea in two separate incidents in the space of one week.
Russia regularly holds naval drills in the Baltic Sea, often in response to NATO exercises in the area.
It last held drills in the area in early August.
The Russian navy has played a key role in Moscow’s assault on Ukraine by pummelling the Western-backed country with ship- and submarine-launched cruise missiles, among other weapons.
