Warships set sail in Rostock for a big NATO exercise!
Warships set sail in Rostock for a big NATO exercise!
On Thursday, June 5, 2025, the NATO maneuver "Baltic Operations" (Baltops) began at the Rostock naval base, which will be carried out for the 54th time. Around 30 warships from different countries set sail into the Baltic Sea. The maneuver that will take about two weeks is accompanied by onlookers and protests. The leaking ships include the US destroyer "USS Mount Whitney" and the German Corvette "Braunschweig".
For the first time,Rostock is the starting point of one of NATO's largest marine maneuvers, in which around 50 ships, more than 25 aircraft and around 9,000 soldiers from 17 nations. The aim of the maneuver is to improve the common skills in maritime operations, including submarine defense, mining and air defense. These exercises are carried out at the lake as well as in the air and under water.
protests and critical voices
DIE LINKE in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania calls for a critical observation of the maneuver and pleads for civil resilience and international cooperation as an answer to possible threats.
Details on the maneuver
The maneuver's coordination lies with the "Commander Task Force Baltic" (CTF), which has been based in Rostock since autumn 2023. The overriding management is taken over by the USA. Vice-Miral Jeffrey T. Anderson describes Baltops as "keystone" for transatlantic security and underlines the importance of the practice for state and alliance defense. Admiral Tobias Any emphasizes the strategic importance of the exercise.
The maneuver is not without effects on civil shipping. During the practice time until June 20, an increased ship movement in the region is expected, and the navy asks all leisure captains, sailors, anglers and paddlers, to keep their distance from the warships. This faces a logistical challenge for the city of Rostock, since the relocations and shipping traffic of the NATO units can strongly influence the local conditions.
The maneuver will take place under the eyes of the public, since NDR MV transmits the expires of the ships live and provides expert comments. For the population it is an exciting, but also controversial time that goes hand in hand with various opinions and feelings.
Overall, the Baltops maneuver shows the determination of the NATO countries to strengthen their military cooperation and to react to new security policy challenges.
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| Ort | Rostock, Deutschland |
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