In the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine war, and right next door, NATO has kicked off its massive annual military exercises in the Baltic Sea. “Baltic Operations 24” is about to be in full swing, kicking off formally on Friday, and involves over 9,000 personnel and more than 50 ships and 85 aircraft, comprising 20 countries.
Crucially, NATO’s newest admittee Sweden is part of the drills as a full member state. The Kremlin is watching closely given the obviously surging regional tensions which has increasingly seen all of Europe put on a war footing.
US military magazine Stripes states that it will feature “amphibious, gunnery, anti-submarine, air defense and mine clearance operations, according to a statement from U.S. 6th Fleet and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, or STRIKEFORNATO. Explosive ordnance disposal, unmanned underwater and surface vehicle exercises, and medical response scenarios also are planned.”
To be expected, the exercises are being led to by the country which has from the start dominated NATO’s course and strategy: the United States – with Naval Forces Europe-Africa/6th Fleet and commanded by STRIKEFORNATO, headquartered in Oeiras, Portugal – having charge over the operations. There have been a series of similar major drills since January, but this one comes as US-Russia tensions have reached a new height, given the Biden administration’s resent greenlight for Kiev to use American weapons to strike inside Russian territory.
NATO Kicks Off Massive Baltic Drills As Biden Affirms US Weapons ‘Now Being Used Inside Russia’
American Buddhist Net 