Exercise BALTOPS 23 gets underway
Twenty nations, 50 ships, more than 45 aircraft and 6,000 personnel are participating in exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2023, an annual maritime exercise. Held in the Baltic Sea, this year’s iteration started on 4 June and will continue until 16 June, giving NATO Allies and partners a chance to practise large-scale maritime and amphibious operations. Led by the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet, the exercise is controlled by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO), NATO’s maritime operational staff. While Finland has participated in previous iterations of the exercise, this year marks the first time the country participates as a NATO member country.
