US Navy Sailor Lost Overboard During Baltic Operations

The US Navy has announced that Seaman Recruit David L. Spearman,19,was lost overboard from the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missie destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) on 1 August 2022 in the Baltic Sea near Helsinki,Finland.During watch that afternoon,a lookout saw a person in the water.Man overboard procedures were initiated.The ensuing search involved both the German and Swedish Navies,as well as the Arleigh Burke's crew and the US Air Force.The search was called off on 2 August.* Seaman Recruit Spearman was from Etowah,Henderson County in Western North Carolina.He had completed training at Surface Warfare Engineering School Command in Great Lakes,Illinois in April.According to his commanding officer,Commander Pete Flynn,David made an oversized,positive impact on the warship.CDR Flynn also thanked all those involved in the extensive,day and night search and rescue efforts.Spearman,called "Dee" by his family,had a family history of naval service.* The Arleigh Burke is one of four destroyers forward-deployed to Rota,Spain.They are to be joined by two more destroyers as ordered by US President Joeseph R. Biden,bringing the total to six,in light of Russia's unwarranted aggression against Ukraine,which has necessitated an increased NATO presence along the Alliance's Eastern Flank.The augmented destroyer presence,long sought by U.S. European Command,will facilitate better sensing,command and control,and ballistic missile defence capability.* For if we live,we live to the Lord;and if we die,we die to the Lord.Therefore,whether we live or die,we are the Lord's.(Romans 14:8)

Advanced Tactics and Technology Secure the Baltics in Large Scenario

BALTOPS 2020, considered the premier maritime forces exercise for NATO and Partners, concluded on 16 June 2020.Nineteen Allies plus Partners Finland and Sweden improved flexibility in air defence; anti-submarine warfare; maritime interdiction;and mine countermeasures operations.Naval Striking Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) at its new HQ in Lisbon, Portugal implemented the latest technology into their Joint Operations Centre to facilitate Command and Control of the drills.Such new capabilities as recognized maritime picture viewing;NATO common operational picture feeds; joint targeting systems for operational planning;and a tactical data link to communicate with Allied warships at sea were exercised, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe said.

According to LG Klaus Habersetzen, Commander, Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOL) in Uedem, Germany, which coordinated the operations of the 28 aircraft in the drills:
This challenging mission serves to demonstrate NATO Allies are united and ready to deter conflict and defend the sovereignty of Baltic nations through sea control and power projection.*
BALTOPS unfolded in two phases:
1.Combat Enhancement Training and Force Integration Training (CET-FIT) and
2.Tactical Exercise (TACEX), which gave commanders the freedom to run their own tactical programmes and simulated operations in real world conditions, SHAPE indicated.*

Aircraft Carrier Rushed to Europe on Snap Deployment - big NATO exercise scenario revealed

The US Navy's aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) and its Carrier Strike Group of a Guided Missile Cruiser,Guided Missile Destroyers and likely an Attack Submarine has been on a breakneck pace as of late.After a summer deployment that was abruptly halted in July after only three months,as opposed to the customary seven months,and a return to its Norfolk,Virginia homeport,the Truman was ordered right back to Europe and arrived in mid-September.The ship and its 6,000 crewmembers are to be a focal point of the massive NATO Exercise Trident Juncture 2018,which runs from 25 October to 7 November.Some 45,000 personnel from 29 NATO Allies,plus partner nations Finland and Sweden,will participate.*
The Truman's demanding schedule is part of the US Navy's new Dynamic Force Employment strategy.It means the warships and their crews must be on a more agile and unpredictable footing for crisis response in an era of renewed great power competition.As ADL Christopher Grady,commander,Fleet Forces Command,put it:
Let me be clear:all returning units are one hundred percent mission-capable and will remain in the sustainment phase of the Optimized Fleet Response Plan,which means they will sustain warfighting readiness and be ready to surge forward or redeploy when called upon.*
As Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told the US House of Representatives:
The way you do this is ensure that preparation for great power competition drives not simply a rotational schedule that allows me to tell you,three years from now,which aircraft carrier will be where in the world.*
According to US Navy ADL James G. Foggo III,commander,US Naval Forces Europe and Africa and all NATO naval forces:
Trident Juncture 18 is going to test our ability to plan and conduct a major collective defence operation .*
The drills will be held in Central and Eastern Norway;the contiguous Baltic Sea and North Atlantic Ocean;Iceland and the airspace of Finland and Sweden.The exercise scenario is that a NATO Ally has requested help under the Alliance's Article V collective defence clause.*
About 2,000 US Marines and Sailors with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the roughly 700 Marines of the 3rd Battalion,8th Marines already on rotation in Norway will also play a major role in the scenario with the new anti-tank version of the Light Armored Vehicle (LAV-AT).These are armed with the TOW anti-tank missile.

NATO's Trident Juncture 18:Testing the Alliance in the Northern Reaches

Norway has issued a news release on the upcoming NATO Exercise Trident Juncture 18.It describes TJ 18 as one of the largest drills ever held in Norway,with more than 40,000 NATO and partner personnel taking part.They will be supported by about 130 aircraft;70 vessels;and 10,000 vehicles.*
TJ 18's tactical drills will run from 25 October to 7 November 2018;while the command post exercise (CPX) will run from 14-23 November 2018.The exercise will test the full spectrum of warfighting through its air,land,maritime,Special Operations Forces and amphibious scenarios,challenging both the NATO Response Force and other Allied and partner units with a view to seamless integration.*
Leading the drills will be Admiral James G. Foggo III,US Navy,Commander,NATO Joint Force Command,Naples.*
The exercise will be staged in Central and Eastern Norway and the adjacent waters of the North Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea,and extending into Finnish and Swedish airspace in the bargain.The potential for adverse Nordic weather conditions may lend realism through additional hazards that need to be overcome by the Allied and partner forces.

As Exercise Aurora Unfolds,Details from Zapad 17 Emerge - little green men,U-2S Dragon Lady and Swedish SIGINT

Adrenaline is running high in Europe as multiple crucial exercises are underway on both sides of the geopolitical divide.
On 19 September,Exercise Aurora 17 began in Sweden.It is the largest Swedish national exercise in more than twenty years,US European Command said.Augmenting the more than 19,000 Swedish personnel,the US has sent about 1300 Soldiers,Marines and Sailors,and France has contributed air defence forces.
US European Command commander and Supreme Allied Commander Europe,General Curtis M. Scaparrotti,US Army,stated that:
The interoperability and cooperation of Sweden and the US remains vital.*
Aurora 17 is running from 19-27 September.The drills will occur in Malardalen,Stockholm,Gotland and Gothenberg,Sweden.US Forces participating include:
from the US Army:US Army10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command;12th Combat Aviation Brigade;2nd Cavalry Regiment;194th Armored Regiment,Minnesota Army National Guard;134th Infantry Regiment,Nebraska Army National Guard;149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade,Kentucky Army National Guard;
from the US Marine Corps:Marine Rotational Force Europe 17.2;
from the US Navy:Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79);and a P-8A Poseidon from Patrol Squadron 16.*
The forces will train in both defensive and offensive operations;simulated airborne operations;simulated amphibious assault;as well as area security and unit level tactics.*
Meanwhile,sources in theatre,particularly the Finns,have been sharing their observations of Russian/Belorussian Exercise Zapad 17,giving the ambience of Zapad and the response to it:
1.On 16 September,so called "little green men" in unmarked camouflage fatigues appeared on the border with Lithuania,the Swedish publication Cornucopia reported.One photo showed five LGM in a field with balaclavas and kalashnikov rifles;and a second photo shows two LGM,one of whom has removed his balaclava.They are reportedly hybrid warriors,Don Cossack paramilitaries,some of whom were also noted to be active in annexed Crimea and the beseiged Donbas region in Ukraine.*
2.According to another source,a US Air Force U-2S Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft departed RAF Fairford,England,at 0655 hours on a Baltic mission on 17 September.
3.On 14 September,the Russian 6th Tank Brigade that had seen heavy fighting in Ukraine in 2014 joined Zapad 17 drills.
4.On 17 September,strategic places in Severodvinsk were masked by aerosol fogging in the framework of Zapad 17.
5.On 18 September,land units of the Russian Baltic Fleet carried out firing in the framework of Zapad 17;while a shipborne strike group of the Russian Northern Fleet supported artillery forces of the Russian Marines.
6.On 17 September,a Swedish SIGINT plane was sent on a mission outside the Russian outpost of Kaliningrad.

Big NATO Naval Drills Staged in Baltic

Standing NATO Maritime Group One and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One have been staging Exercise Northern Coasts 16 in the Baltic Sea.Led by Germany,it is a large exercise providing relevant training in an undisclosed fictitious yet realistic scenario,NATO said.As many as 38 naval units,including submarines,have traveled from 16 NATO and partner countries and are focusing on both surface and undersea warfare.
Rear Admiral Jose E. Delgado of the Spanish Navy says the naval forces will train as a single Task Group.By training together,NATO and partners strengthen their ability to effectively combine national assets in order to face any possible challenges in a maritime environment.This major exercise will prove NATO Standing Forces' capability to rapidly grow to a bigger multinational Task Group whenever and wherever it could be demanded,RADM Delgado said.The drills have been staged in the Baltic since 2007.*
Flagship for RADM Delgado is the frigate ESPS Mendez Nunez (F-104).Germany,Belgium and Portugal are also contributing frigates to the effort.The US Navy has sent Sailors from Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 8,as well as the P8-A Poseidon surveillance aircraft for undersea warfare drills.EODMU 8 began participating on 2 September,exercising mine countermeasures and counter-IED response capabilities,building interoperability and sharing best practices with the Allies and partners.*
Those participating in Exercise Northern Coasts 16 include Spain,Portugal,Germany,France,Belgium,the Netherlands,Estonia,Latvia,Lithuania,Canada,the US,Denmark,Norway and NATO partners Sweden and Finland.

BALTOPS 2016:NATO Maritime Wargames Underway

Seventeen NATO member countries and partner nations are participating in BALTOPS 2016,the 44th iteration of the maritime wargames in the Baltic Sea region.Flagship of the exercise is the USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20),which is also flagship of Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) and the US Navy's 6th Fleet.Upgraded during a 2015 maintenance period,the Mount Whitney is a command and control platform with specialised capability.*
BALTOPS 16 will demonstrate the use of sea-based platforms to rapidly reinforce a crisis area by delivering material,equipment and forces whenever and wherever they are needed.Forces called upon will include more than 60 aircraft delivering nearly 90 sorties a day,among them US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers;joint/shared aircraft;more than approximately 800 amphibious troops;and 45 ships and submarines.
The drills will result in a higher state of readiness;improved interoperability with NATO and partner nations and confidence in their ability to operate together in a time of crisis.It is an excellent opportunity for personnel to engage in realistic maritime training;to build experience,teamwork and strengthen our interoperability in order to promote security of the Baltic region,said US Naval Forces Europe-Africa/US 6th Fleet.BALTOPS demonstrates the Alliance and its partners are ready for and capable of dealing with any contingency through its combat enhancement training and force integrated training amphibious landings,as well as mine clearing training.

NATO's Eastern Flank:Deterrence Strategy Unfolds

At the NATO Wales Summit in 2014,the Alliance's deterrence framework for its Eastern Flank was set forth as the Readiness Action Plan,or RAP.The Baltic States of Lithuania,Latvia and Estonia,who are most exposed to Russian military power,welcomed the plan,and it continues to evolve today.Currently the plan revolves around the trip-wire concept provided by small rotations of Allied forces such as the Baltic Air Policing Mission.Sixteen NATO Allies are participating in this long-running mission,which began in 2004 and is based at Lithuania's Siauliai Air Base.Yet this mission can now be scaled up using the air bases at Amari,Estonia and Malbork,Poland.*
In 2017,the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force,or VJTF,comes into full operation with 5,000 Allied troops.Besides the VJTF,the US is studying the possible deployment of a 5,000 troop combat brigade to continuously rotate through the three Baltic States plus Poland,Bulgaria and Romania.As well,the UK is sending more ships to the Baltic Sea,including a destroyer;frigate;and 3 minesweepers;plus 100 ground troops to the Baltic States.Gemany will also rotate forces through the Baltic States and Poland.*
NATO's relations with its Nordic partners Finland and Sweden have been stepped up in recent years in light of Russia's aggression in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine,accompanied by its bomber flights along Nordic airspace and its unannounced land manoeuvers with thousands of troops.This new closeness between the Nordic Defence Cooperation,NORDEFCO,and NATO involves joint assessment of Baltic Sea Region security;expanded information sharing,including on hybrid warfare;coordinating training and exercises;and developing improved joint situational awareness.*
In another example of the rotational approach to deterrence,Standing NATO Maritime Group 1,with its 3 core vessels,frigate and flagship ESPS Alvaro de Bazan (F-101);combat supply ship ESPS A-15 Cantabria;and frigate HMS Iron Duke (F234),made a port call at Riga,Latvia.Following the visit,during which citizens were invited to tour the ships,they will continue patrolling and exercising in the North and Baltic Seas.Earlier in the mission,they were joined by Norwegian coastal corvettes HNoMs Storm (P-961) and HNoMs Steil (P-963).

BALTOPS 2015:NATO Allies,Partners Stage Amphibious Assault

On Wednesday 17 June,allied troops from NATO and partner nations staged a massive amphibious assault as part of Exercise BALTOPS 2015.The successful Baltic Sea drill was based on the scenario of trying to defeat enemy forces occupying the coast of Northern Poland,NATO said.It took place on a beach near Utska,Poland.In the exercise,several waves of amphibious assault craft and 2 US Navy hovercraft brought about 700 British,US,Finnish and Swedish Marines ashore,aided by close air support from US and Swedish fighter aircraft and attack helicopters.*
We saw an amazing exercise out on the water today,said Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Philip Breedlove,US Air Force.It was a great example of interoperability and the capability that NATO forces have together,and demonstrates that the Alliance is ready for the new security situation.*
The amphibious landing was commanded by Royal Navy Fleet Flagship HMS Ocean (L12),a landing platform helicopter ship,and the US Navy's USS San Antonio (LPD 17),an amphibious transport dock ship.Embarked on HMS Ocean were a series of Royal Navy,Army and Royal Air Force helicopters.*
In all,17 countries,includng 14 NATO allies and 3 NATO partners,participated in BALTOPS 2015 with 49 ships and 5600 troops.The annual exercise ended on Friday 19 June.