Northern Coasts 23:Defending the Baltics from Enemy Attack

About 30 warships and 3200 military personnel from 14 nations are carrying out an annual exercise intended to enhance defence of the Baltic Sea Region.It will concentrate on high-end warfare and collective deterrence and defence by NATO Allies,NATO said.The drills began on 9 September and last two weeks.Said Dylan White,acting NATO spokesperson:Seven-soon to be eight-NATO Allies border the Baltic Sea,so the area is of critical importance to our Alliance.Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has radically altered the security situation in the Baltic Sea,and NATO has substantially increased its defensive presence in the region at sea,onland and in the air.Exercises like these send a clear message that NATO stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory.*The two weeks of drills are currently underway,including amphibious operations;air defence;strikes from sea to land;and securing sea lanes.Participating are Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1,as well as military personnel from Allies Belgium,Canada,Denmark,Estonia,Finland,France,Germany,Latvia,Lithuania,the Netherlands,Norway,Poland,Partner Sweden and the US.Germany is leading the manoeuvres.The drills are also featuring participation of land and air forces from the 14 nations.The scenario of the exercise simulates a Russian attack on the Baltics,according to ERR News (Estonian Public Broadcasting).*Vice-Admiral Jan Chrisitian Raack,commander of the German Navy,told Reuters that warships will practise sea lane defence primarily off the coasts of Estonia and Latvia.Germany is also commanding the operation from its new Maritime Command Headquarters at the city of Rostock on the Baltic Sea.Said VADM Raack:Finland and the Baltic States depend to almost 100% on the maritime supply routes through the Baltic Sea.*For its part,the US Navy is contributing the USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19),an amphibious transport dock of the San Antonio-class.*Rostock is on the Bay of Mecklenburg,an arm of the Baltic Sea.The city is in the German state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.The new HQ will reportedly serve as NATO's go-to HQ for Baltic Sea Region defence.* Please excuse any delays as this blog experienced an outage while writing this post.