BALTOPS 22 manoeuvre starts in June

The 51st US Baltic Operations, the most important maritime exercise in the Baltic Sea region, runs from 5 to 17 June

Fourteen NATO countries, two NATO partner countries, over 45 ships, more than 75 aircraft and around 7,000 people will take part in BALTOPS 22. The participating nations include Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. They will test a variety of capabilities designed to impressively demonstrate the flexibility of the naval forces.

This includes amphibious operations, firing exercises, anti-submarine defence and air defence, as well as mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, the use of unmanned underwater vehicles and medical assistance.

US warships in the Baltic Sea

US warships were already in the Baltic before the start of BALTOPS, while Sweden and Finland were going through their NATO accession process. The amphibious helicopter carrier USS Kearsarge (LHD-3, Wasp-class), the amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44, Whidbey Island-class), the guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG-107, Arleigh Burke-class) and the commando ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20) are deployed in the Baltic ahead of the BALTOPS 22 exercise series, according to USNI News.

The 51st edition of the exercise comes at a time when long-time participants Sweden and Finland have begun the process of joining NATO amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Sweden in particular has asked the U.S. to operate more in the Baltic Sea, which has been endorsed by Navy and Marine Corps leadership, USNI News reports.

This expansion leads to an impressive network of access and area controls that NATO could use to effectively prevent Russian exit from the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat straits into the North Sea and the Atlantic.

In the run-up to US-Baltops 2022; USS Kearsarge with Finnish units in the northern Baltic Sea. Photo: US Navy

Turkey blocked

While the majority of the 30-nation alliance supports the accession of the two Nordic countries, Turkey continues to object to Sweden's and Finland's protection of organisations that Ankara describes as terrorist (including the Kurdistan Workers' Party, PKK), as well as to the cessation of arms exports from both countries to Turkey.

On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that Turkey would not allow Finland and Sweden to join unless Helsinki and Stockholm agree to "stop their support for the PKK and other groups, prohibit them from organising events on their territory, extradite those wanted by Turkey for terrorism, support Ankara's military and anti-terror operations and lift all restrictions on arms exports".

Baltic Sea manoeuvre is a flagship project

The annual US-led naval exercise in the Baltic Sea region, which begins this weekend, will give Finland and Sweden the opportunity to demonstrate their maritime capabilities and emphasise their potential contribution as NATO members.

Both countries have long participated in Baltic Operations (BALTOPS), but this year Sweden will host the opening events and other elements of the exercise, which begins on Sunday. At least two other participating countries, Latvia and Germany, will also organise events.

Sweden and Finland have given up their decades of neutrality and applied for NATO membership on 18 May 2022. This is one of the biggest geopolitical consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. As the hosts of the BALTOPS are already known years in advance, the choice of Sweden as this year's host nation is completely independent of the Russian war in Ukraine or Sweden's NATO application.

Sources: PM MarKdo, LaGrone, Bath, Stars and Stripes, USN