NATO exercises begin in the Baltic Sea
The Naval exercise, BALTOPS 2016, led by NATO started on June 3rd in the southern part of the Baltic Sea near the coasts of Sweden, Denmark and Poland, Delfi.lt reports. BALTOPS (Baltic Operations) exercises have been carried out since 1971. In 2016, training will be held from June 3rd to the 18th. They began on Friday in the Estonian waters of the Baltic Sea.
A total of 50 ships from 18 NATO nations and alliance partners will take part in the maneuvers, as well as 60 aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. More than 4,500 people will be involved in the exercises. The maneuvers will take place at sea, on land and in the air. The current exercises are attended by Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Italy, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Training will begin with a working conference, which will bring together the commanders of naval units. This year, US B-52 bombers have been moved to Europe specifically for this exercise. In addition to BALTOPS, American bombers will participate in the Saber Strike 16 exercises, which are organized by the European Command of the US Armed Forces. Later the bombers will be involved in the Just Hammer training, which will be held by the African command of the Armed Forces. The Saber Strike 16 exercises began in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia on May 27th. They will last till June 22nd. These exercises are carried out by a total of 13 states.