Annual BALTOPS 2022 drill kicks off

A total of 16 different countries, including Poland, will take part in ‘Baltops’ 2022, a NATO military exercise starting on Sunday.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson (L) and US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley (R) aboard the American amphibious warship USS Kearsarge in Stockholm, Sweden, 04 June 2022, ahead of the Baltic Operations 'Baltops 22' exercise that will take place from 05 to 17 June, in the Baltic Sea.

Photo: EPA/FREDRIK PERSSON

Baltops is a US-sponsored military naval exercise in the Baltic Sea, which Poland has been participating in since 1993.

Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said in May: "[The exercise] provides a unique training opportunity that strengthens combined response capability and is critical to preserving the freedom of navigation and security in the Baltic Sea region."

This year the annual Baltic Operations exercise will be hosted by Sweden.

In total, 45 ships, 75 aircraft and around 7,000 soldiers will take part in Baltops this year.

Apart from Poland, other participating NATO members include Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Additionally, NATO partner nations Finland and Sweden will also take part in this year’s exercise. Both countries have recently applied to join the alliance, a decision they said was driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Baltops begins on 5 June and runs until 17 June.

(ał)

Source: PAP