International maritime exercise BALTOPS concludes in Baltic Sea region

VILNIUS - Baltic Operations 25, or BALTOPS 25, an international maritime-focused military exercise which also involved the Lithuanian Navy, concluded on Friday.

According to the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the 54th iteration of the exercise took place from June 3 to 20. The exercise stood out for its focus on new technologies, with the training extensively integrating unmanned surface and underwater platforms used in various operations, from reconnaissance to mine neutralization.

The BALTOPS exercise involved more than 50 warships, over 25 aircraft, and about 9,000 troops from 16 NATO countries, including Lithuania, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Latvia, Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, France, Finland, Sweden, Turkey, and Germany.

During the exercise, the troops trained by simulating real crisis scenarios, operating in multinational formations, and strengthening their overall readiness for collective defense, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said in a press release.

The first part of the exercise focused mainly on increasing the combat capabilities of the Navy and elements of anti-mine force integration. During this part, Navy units, together with their allies, performed ship maneuvers, prepared for mine detection and destruction, search and rescue, ship survival, replenishment of ship supplies, and other elements of integration drills.

The units also successfully completed complex firing exercises at the Danish Multipurpose Sea Range.

According to the Armed Forces, the exercise also included firing at stationary, moving, and remote-controlled targets.

The Lithuanian Navy’s minesweeper M54 Kursis carried out mine clearance drills with the assistance of mine clearance divers from the Underwater Operations Team of the Harbor Protection and Coastal Defense Unit.

This year, Lithuania sent three naval vessels to the BALTOPS exercise: the command and supply ship N42 Jotvingis, the minesweeper M54 Kursis, and the patrol ship P12 Dzukas.

According to the military, the Baltic Naval Squadron (BALTRON) also played an important role in the exercise.

This international unit of the Lithuanian and Latvian naval forces, supplemented by ships from other countries, coordinates mine countermeasure operations in the Baltic Sea. In addition to its operational function, the BALTRON headquarters also serves as a training platform.

The BALTOPS exercise was led by the United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa.