Estonian Navy ships participating in NATO's BALTOPS 2022 exercise
Estonia, 13 NATO allies, Finland and Sweden are taking part in the two-week annual maritime-led joint Baltic Operations (BALTOPS 22) which started on Sunday.
More than 7,000 sailors, airmen and marines, 75 aircraft and 45 warships will participate in the exercise in the Baltic Sea, which first took place in 1972.
Two Estonian Navy ships are among the fleet, the minesweeper EML Admiral Cowan and EML Sakala.
The exercises started in Stockholm, Sweden with a Pre-Sail event, and will end in Kiel, Germany. The exercise's aim is to increase the flexibility of participating countries in conducting joint land, air and naval operations in the Baltic Sea region.
Germany's Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) at Uedem will direct air operations and synchronize them with the maritime activities, said Major General Harold Van Pee, Commander of CAOC Uedem.
"In these challenging times, we are proud to support this long-standing exercise that enables complex and meaningful Air-Maritime-Integration for our Allies and Partners," he said.
Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States will take part.
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Editor: Helen Wright
