Largest military exercise in Baltic Sea region commences

RIGA - The largest and most strategically significant military exercise in the Baltic Sea region, BALTOPS 26, has begun in Latvia, the National Armed Forces informed LETA.

From Thursday through June 19, the annual international military exercise BALTOPS 26 will take place in the Baltic Sea region, including Latvia.

According to the National Armed Forces, these are the largest and most strategically significant military exercises in the Baltic Sea region, providing NATO allies with an opportunity to strengthen combat readiness, cooperation, and deterrence capabilities, which are essential for maintaining maritime security.

The goal of the exercise is to demonstrate the readiness of European nations and the United States to ensure the defense of the Baltic Sea region, while strengthening the cooperation and interoperability of allied armed forces across all service branches-at sea, in the air, on land, in cyberspace, and in space.

This year, during the international military exercise, participants will train in evacuation procedures, mine neutralization, amphibious operations, and engineering capabilities, as well as conduct underwater robot trials and demonstrations.

In total, 15 countries will participate in the BALTOPS 26 exercise: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

These are annual military exercises in which Latvia has participated since 1996. They are organized by the NATO Naval Strike Group headquarters in cooperation with the U.S. 6th Fleet.