A vast naval military exercise called “Northern Coasts 23” involving 14 NATO countries, including the United States and France, began on Saturday (9) in the Baltic Sea under German command, in a show of force against the backdrop of Russia’s war in Ukraine. However, the exercise maneuvers will not take place near Kaliningrad, territory armed by Moscow, to avoid any provocation, according to the German Navy.
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Around 30 ships and submarines, up to 19 aircraft and several ground units are involved in the exercise, the military authorities said in a statement on Saturday.
More than 3,200 soldiers will be training “for the first time since the start of these maneuvers in 2007 in a realistic scenario within the NATO defense structure,” explained Admiral Stephan Haisch. In previous years, they were mainly preparing to prevent pirate, terrorist and smuggler attacks, or just training to take part in international missions.
This time, they are focusing on port defense and amphibious assaults on land targets. The aim is to optimize cooperation between the naval, land and air forces involved,
“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has radically changed the security situation in the Baltic Sea,” emphasized NATO spokesman Dylan White on Saturday.
“Exercises of this kind send a clear message that NATO is ready to defend every inch of allied territory,” he added in a statement.
The “Northern Coasts 23” operations, which are expected to last until September 23, will take place mainly in the coastal waters of Estonia and Latvia, including associated land and airspace, as well as in the eastern and central parts of the Baltic Sea. These two former Soviet Union countries, now members of NATO, border Russia.
German leadership avoids provoking Moscow
The exercises will be led by Admiral Haisch and his team from Rostock, a port city in northeastern Germany. This is the first time that the German Navy has planned and led maneuvers of this magnitude.
The training will focus especially on the defense of ports, but also on amphibious assaults on targets on land. The aim is to optimize cooperation between the naval, land and air forces involved, explains the German Navy.
The “Northern Coasts” exercises were launched by Germany in 2007. Command of the exercises alternates each year between Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
In addition to Germany, the 2023 edition will involve the United States, France, Italy, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Canada, Belgium, Lithuania, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden. Russia also regularly holds military exercises in the Baltic, most recently in August.
The “Northern Coasts 23” maneuvers will not take place near Kaliningrad, the small landlocked territory in the EU that is armed by Moscow, to avoid any provocation, according to the German Navy.
(With information from AFP)