Tag Archives: Baltic Operations

Kearsarge Returns to Norfolk After 7-Month Deployment

Kearsarge Returns to Norfolk After 7-Month Deployment

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Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge returns to homeport, July 18, 2019, after the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group’s (ARG) regularly scheduled, seven-month deployment in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. Navy photo.

Amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) returned to Norfolk Thursday morning, after completing a seven-month deployment to Europe and the Middle East and having offloaded members of the embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit in North Carolina earlier this week.

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NATO and U.S. Baltic Sea Exercises Highlight Ongoing Tensions with Russian Forces

NATO and U.S. Baltic Sea Exercises Highlight Ongoing Tensions with Russian Forces

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Construction Mechanic 2nd Class Steven Montgomery, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1, directs an amphibious assault vehicle during exercise BALTOPS 17 in Putlos, Germany. US Navy Photo

ABOARD AMPHIBIOUS WARSHIP USS ARLINGTON — BALTOPS 2017, now in its 45th year as an annual naval exercise, took place during the first two weeks of June in a Baltic Sea region that continues to be tense with Russia’s continued assertiveness, which became apparent with the violent annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Read More →

BALTOPS 2017 Focuses On Air Integration To Support Realistic Coalition Warfighting Scenarios

BALTOPS 2017 Focuses On Air Integration To Support Realistic Coalition Warfighting Scenarios

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U.S. Marines with 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines deployed from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, land their amphibious assault vehicles ashore at Uto, Sweden, on June 10, 2016, during BALTOPS 2016. The 2016 exercise focused on challenging amphibious landings in the northern part of the Baltic Sea, whereas this year will focus on air integration and will primarily take place in the southern part of the Baltic Sea. US Navy photo.

THE PENTAGON — Fifty ships set sail in the Baltic Sea this week for the annual NATO exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS), with this year’s event including a larger aviation component and a larger adversary “red force” in the hopes of creating a realistic scenario for high-end warfare in Europe, the Navy’s 6th Fleet commander told reporters today. Read More →

Opinion: Russia, Middle East Will Define NATO's Emerging Maritime Century

Opinion: Russia, Middle East Will Define NATO’s Emerging Maritime Century

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Amphibious assault ships participating in exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2015 transit in formation off the coast of Sweden on June 12, 2015. US Navy Photo

Amphibious assault ships participating in exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2015 transit in formation off the coast of Sweden on June 12, 2015. US Navy Photo

NATO may be best known for its protracted counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan, or for its current efforts to shore up defenses in Eastern Europe with air and ground exercises. But moving forward NATO must also consider its role in the global maritime domain, as it is central to the twin security challenges of an increasingly aggressive Russia and a crumbling Middle East order that the Alliance faces right now. Read More →

Analysis: BALTOPS 2015 Highlights New Friction Between West, Russia

Analysis: BALTOPS 2015 Highlights New Friction Between West, Russia

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Maritime forces from 17 nations are underway in formation for BALTOPS 2015. BALTOPS is an annually recurring multinational exercise designed to enhance flexibility and interoperability, as well as demonstrate resolve of allied and partner forces to defend the Baltic region on June 8, 2015. US Navy Photo

Maritime forces from 17 nations are underway in formation for BALTOPS 2015. BALTOPS is an annually recurring multinational exercise designed to enhance flexibility and interoperability, as well as demonstrate resolve of allied and partner forces to defend the Baltic region on June 8, 2015. US Navy Photo

The naval exercise BALTOPS 2015 is bringing the U.S. Navy and its European friends and allies to a Nordic-Baltic region that is newly tense in the wake of the Ukraine crisis. The exercise also indicates that the Baltic Sea is playing a new role as a maritime space, and that anti-access/area-denial challenge is more than just a Pacific problem. Read More →

U.S. 6th Fleet Commander: Russia 'Showing Interest' As BALTOPS Exercise Begins

U.S. 6th Fleet Commander: Russia ‘Showing Interest’ As BALTOPS Exercise Begins

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The guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) maneuvers into port in Gdynia, Poland, outboard of the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69) while the Turkish navy ship TCG Göksu (F 497) passes on the starboard side on June 4, 2015. US Navy photo.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) maneuvers into port in Gdynia, Poland, outboard of the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69) while the Turkish navy ship TCG Göksu (F 497) passes on the starboard side on June 4, 2015. US Navy photo.

As 17 countries and NATO pulled out of the Gdynia, Poland, port together Monday to begin the 43rd annual Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) exercise, Russia sent its aircraft and warships to monitor the multi-phase exercise. Read More →

U.S. Led BALTOPS 2015 Begins With Heftier Presence Than Last Year's Exercise

U.S. Led BALTOPS 2015 Begins With Heftier Presence Than Last Year’s Exercise

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Ships from various nations in the Baltic Region and the U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney begin the underway phase of Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2014. US Navy photo.

Ships from various nations in the Baltic Region and the U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney begin the underway phase of Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2014. US Navy photo.

The 43rd annual Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) exercise begins today, with four additional countries participating and significantly more troops involved compared to last year’s event. Read More →