NATO and US-led naval drills are set to begin this week in the Baltic Sea with reduced forces compared to last year, Polish broadcaster TVP World reported on Wednesday.
“In this period, it is a sign of the alliance's strength, that a major exercise is being conducted, under US leadership, with broad NATO participation,” German Rear Admiral Stephan Haisch said.
The BALTOPS exercise, scheduled from June 4 to June 20, will involve around 20 vessels from 15 countries and about 6,000 personnel, roughly half the size of last year's drills.
According to officials, the reduced scale reflects ongoing operational commitments elsewhere, including deployments in the Middle East and the Arctic.
Even so, the exercise is expected to be the largest naval maneuver in the Baltic Sea this year.
Operations will begin in the western Baltic before shifting east towards the area surrounding the Swedish island of Gotland.
Haisch said safeguarding sea lines of communication remains a central mission, both for military logistics and commercial shipping.
He also said he does not expect Russia to take actions that would trigger NATO's collective defence clause, known as Article 5, despite ongoing tensions.
