NATO Says Launched Northern Coasts Exercise in Baltic Sea

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - NATO said on Saturday it had launched the annual Northern Coasts defense exercise in the Baltic Sea amid the changing security situation in the region, with around 30 warships and 3,200 troops involved in the drills.

The exercise is one of the biggest regional drills and is focusing for the first time on high-end warfare and collective defense, the alliance added.

"Some 30 warships and 3,200 personnel from 14 nations will participate in the annual two-week naval exercise Northern Coasts, which starts on Saturday (9 September 2023) in the Baltic Sea, primarily off the coasts of Estonia and Latvia," the alliance's statement read.

Confict in Ukraine "has radically altered the security situation in the Baltic Sea, and NATO has substantially increased its defensive presence in the region at sea, on land and in the air. Exercises like these send a clear message that NATO stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory," acting NATO spokesman Dylan White said in the statement.

During the drills, the 14 nations will train amphibious operations, air defense, strikes from sea to land, and securing sea lanes, the statement read.

NATO has been boosting its eastern flank along the borders with Russia and Belarus since late 2021 by dispatching additional troops. In response to Moscow launching a military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, NATO has further reinforced the flank by sending more ships, planes and ground troops to the region and putting them on high alert, as well as conducting regular military drills in the area.