NATO Naval Drills in Baltic Sea Involve 20 Warships

At least 20 warships from nine NATO member states are taking part in Baltic Fortress 2015 naval exercises in the Baltic Sea off the Lithuanian coast on Monday, the country's Ministry of National Defense said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The drills, involving vessels from Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and the United Kingdom as well as the Lithuanian Navy's submarine unit and two airplanes from Lithuania’s Air Force, are expected to last until Thursday in Lithuania's territorial waters.

The naval drills aim is to practice interactions between NATO partners during international operations, including cooperation with NATO rapid reaction forces (Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1), Lithuania's National Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Baltic Fortress exercises have been held annually since 2008, with a rotating host country. In 2016, the drills will be hosted by Latvia.