From June 5 to 20, the 54th major maritime exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) will take place in the Baltic Sea. This year, approximately 50 ships and boats, more than 25 aircraft, and approximately 9,000 soldiers from 17 countries will participate in the exercise. For the first time, the exercise will take place in the Hanseatic and university city of Rostock.
On Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 11:30 a.m., a press conference will be held at the Warnemünde Naval Base to mark the official launch of BALTOPS. Rear Admiral Wilhelm Tobias Abry (Chief of Staff, Naval Command), along with Vice Admiral Jeffrey T. Anderson (Commander of the U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet), and Lieutenant General John Mead (Deputy Commander of Joint Force Command Brunssum), will be available to answer media questions after a statement on the pier.
Beforehand, there will be an opportunity to travel on a naval launch from the Warnemünde naval base via the naval arsenal to the overseas port to generate photos and cutaways for your reporting (places are limited, first come, first serve).*
NATO’s annual US-led naval exercise provides a unique opportunity to strengthen Alliance-wide cooperation and interoperability while demonstrating robust deterrence.
Among other things, the exercises will include amphibious operations, air defense, anti-submarine warfare, the use of unmanned systems, mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, and diving and rescue operations. There will also be numerous firing exercises.
BALTOPS strengthens the combined response capabilities of the 17 participating navies and contributes to regional stability in the Baltic Sea region.
An essential component of the exercise leadership is the Commander Task Force Baltic, stationed in Rostock, who works closely with the exercise command.
The German Navy’s participating ships are the corvettes “Braunschweig” and “Magdeburg”, the frigate “Bayern”, the task force supply ship “Frankfurt am Main”, the minehunter “Datteln”, the tender “Mosel”, the survey boat “Stollergrund” and the maritime patrol aircraft P-3C “Orion”.
This year, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the USA are participating in BALTOPS.