Largest Baltic war games ever: NATO exercises with 12K troops

On the Baltic Sea, the largest military exercises in history, Baltops 2024, begin on Wednesday, involving 12,000 soldiers from 19 NATO countries. The training, conducted under US command, will last until June 20.

For the first time as a full member of the North Atlantic Alliance, Sweden is among the participants, making the Baltic Sea an internal NATO sea.

According to the Lithuanian armed forces, on Tuesday, 30 warships with crews numbering over 4,000 sailors, infantry soldiers, and naval aviation personnel docked in the port of Klaipeda. Over 50 ships, 25 combat aircraft, and 60 helicopters will participate in the exercises.

According to a statement by the Swedish military command, Baltops 2024, or "Baltic Operation," will cover the waters near the island of Gotland, the Gulf of Riga, and the Gulf of Bothnia, as well as training grounds in Sweden (Gotland and the Stockholm Archipelago), Poland, Germany, and Lithuania.

During the training, soldiers aim to enhance their defensive capabilities within the framework of integrated maritime operations in an international context. NATO forces will practice mine clearance, convoy escort, anti-submarine warfare, and amphibious assaults, among other things.