
BALTOPS 2016 participants steam in formation during a photo exercise June 10, 2016. BALTOPS is an annual recurring multinational exercise designed to improve interoperability, enhance flexibility and demonstrate the resolve of allied and partner nations to defend the Baltic region. French Air Force photo.
Russian navy activity around an ongoing annual NATO exercise in the Baltic Sea has been more muted than last year – and much more professional than a low-altitude fly-by of an American destroyer by a Russian fighter in April – partly due to heavy criticism of Russia’s unsafe behavior and partly due to recent face-to-face conversations, a top U.S. Navy commander in the region said. Read More