US, NATO wrap up joint exercises in the Baltics, Europe’s High North

The U.S. Navy and its NATO allies and partners wrapped up their annual maritime-focused exercise in the Baltic region Friday.

Baltic Operations 2023, or BALTOPS, concludes a week after American and European pilots flew their final sorties for the High North’s premier aerial warfare drill, Arctic Challenge 2023. The concurrent exercises, which included U.S. Air Force and Navy personnel, aimed to bolster Euro-American defense cooperation.

BALTOPS, which featured a cohort of 50 ships and 45 aircraft led by U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and U.S. 6th Fleet, kicked-off in Estonia June 4. Over the following two weeks, the navies of 20 countries — four more than last year — simulated maritime and amphibious combat scenarios in and around the Baltic Sea.

More than 6,000 personnel , including about 1,500 U.S. sailors, Marines and airmen, took part in the exercise, more than twice as many as in 2020 .

The destroyer Paul Ignatius and command ship Mount Whitney headlined the U.S. Navy contingent. American forces flaunted a number of new capabilities during the exercise. Unmanned surface vessels rehearsed personnel rescues and medical transfers. A Danish frigate leveraged U.S. logistical capabilities to reload a dummy missile. Participating countries also wargamed enemy attacks on NATO-member satellites and GPS systems.

BALTOPS 23 represents “a tangible indication of commitment to collective defense capability across the NATO Alliance,” Vice Adm. Thomas Ishee, commander of Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO and U.S. 6th Fleet, said in a June 4 press release. “We continue to meet the security challenges of today, and prepare for tomorrow, through interoperability and seamless integration in real world operations.”

Italian Navy ship ITS San Marco, Polish Navy ship ORP Torun, Royal Navy ship HMS Albion, and U.S. Navy command ship Mount Whitney sail the Baltic Sea during BALTOPS 23. (Courtesy photo)

U.S. Air Force and Navy pilots finished their drills for Arctic Challenge, a Nordic-run aerial warfare exercise featuring 10 other NATO members, on June 9.

The Air Force press office described this year’s Arctic Challenge Exercise, hosted in Finland, as a symbol of “the strength and capability of the Alliance throughout the Nordic region.”

Lucky and observant onlookers might have spotted an F-35A Lightning II, F-15E Strike Eagle or KC-135R Stratotanker streaking across the Arctic sky. The 48th Fighter Wing out of RAF Lakenheath in England teamed up with Mildenhall’s 100th Air Refueling Wing and the Maine Air National Guard’s 101st Air Refueling Wing to coordinate U.S. Air Force flight contributions to Arctic Challenge. Personnel from Nellis Air Force Base’s 414th Combat Training Squadron, which conducts Red Flag exercises in Nevada, helped U.S. and partner pilots simulate combat scenarios.

A sailor signals to an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter on the flight deck of the destroyer Paul Ignatius on June 6 during BALTOPS 23. (MC1 Zac Shea/Navy)

Though BALTOPS and Arctic Challenge were not directly connected, some units participated in both. Navy pilots with Carrier Air Wing 8 , assigned to the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, flew their aircraft in mock missions for both exercises, according to U.S. 6th Fleet spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Karl Schonberg.

“Participating in BALTOPS 23 and Arctic Challenge allows us to conduct integrated training and high-intensity activities with our Allies and partners to enhance collective defense capability across the NATO Alliance,” Capt. Dan Catlin, commander of Carrier Air Wing 8, told Military Times.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has breathed new life into NATO.

Chided as an antiquated and restrictive partnership during the Trump administration, the alliance has regained its status as a bulwark against future Russian aggression in the eyes of analysts and policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic. Finland made its BALTOPS debut as a full-fledged NATO member after joining the alliance in April, ditching decades of overt strategic neutrality. Sweden’s bid for entry, stonewalled by Turkey, awaits confirmation .

An F/A-18F Super Hornet takes off from aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford's flight deck on June 5 as part of the Arctic Challenge exercise. (MCSN Maxwell Orlosky/Navy)

The Nordic exercises come on the heels of several other high-profile Euro-American military initiatives. The Ford, the world’s largest warship, made a port call in Oslo in late May before sailing to the Arctic Circle to partake in Arctic Challenge. The U.S. and its NATO allies showcased their collaborative air and missile defense systems during the biannual Formidable Shield exercise in May.

Defender 23, a two-month joint operation encompassing several land-based drills across the continent, kicked off in late April. Defender’s aerial corollary, Air Defender 2023—NATO’s largest ever multinational air warfare exercise— began on Monday and concludes June 23.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Terrance Middleton, 494th Fighter Generation Squadron electrical systems journeyman, prepares an F-15E Strike Eagle for takeoff during Arctic Challenge Exercise 2023 at Pirkkala, Finland, June 7. (Staff Sgt. Gaspar Cortez/Air Force)

Russia has followed the U.S.-NATO exercise spree with agitation. The Kremlin fumed when it caught wind of the Ford’s arrival in Norway. Once a willing participant in BALTOPS, the Russian military launched a Baltic exercise of its own on June 5, deploying roughly 3,500 soldiers, 40 ships, and 25 aircraft in response to what it has described as a “provocative” NATO maneuver.

Russia has mirrored NATO’s Baltic wargames in the past. In 2020, Russian fighter jets strafed practice maritime targets as alliance ships drilled in the waves below. The following year, Russian warships sailed around Stockholm one day after allied vessels set off for BALTOPS exercises. There have been no reports of collisions or near-misses between Russian and NATO forces deployed to the region.

Jaime Moore-Carrillo is an editorial fellow for Military Times and Defense News. A Boston native, Jaime graduated with degrees in international affairs, history, and Arabic from Georgetown University, where he served as a senior editor for the school's student-run paper, The Hoya.

美国海军及其北约盟友和伙伴于周五在波罗的海地区结束了年度海上联合演习。

波罗的海行动 2023 (BALTOPS) 结束一周前，美国和欧洲飞行员刚刚完成了北极挑战 2023 的最后一次飞行任务，这是北极地区最重要的空中作战演习。这两项同期进行的演习包括美国空军和海军人员，旨在加强欧美防务合作。

由美国海军欧洲-非洲司令部和美国第六舰队领导的“波罗的海行动”（BALTOPS）演习于6月4日在爱沙尼亚拉开帷幕，参演舰艇共50艘，飞机45架。在接下来的两周里，来自20个国家（比去年多了4个国家）的海军在波罗的海及其周边地区模拟了海上和两栖作战场景。

超过 6000 名人员参加了此次演习，其中包括约 1500 名美国海军、海军陆战队和空军人员，是 2020 年人数的两倍多。

驱逐舰“保罗·伊格内修斯”号和指挥舰“惠特尼山”号领衔美国海军参演部队。美军在演习中展示了多项新能力。无人水面舰艇演练了人员救援和医疗转运。一艘丹麦护卫舰利用美国的后勤保障能力重新装填了一枚模拟导弹。参演国还模拟了敌方对北约成员国卫星和全球定位系统（GPS）的攻击。

北约海军打击与支援部队司令兼美国第六舰队司令托马斯·伊希海军中将在6月4日的新闻稿中表示，“波罗的海行动23”体现了“北约联盟对集体防御能力的切实承诺”。他补充道：“我们通过在实战行动中实现互操作性和无缝整合，不断应对当今的安全挑战，并为未来做好准备。”

意大利海军“圣马可”号巡洋舰、波兰海军“托伦”号巡洋舰、英国皇家海军“阿尔比恩”号巡洋舰和美国海军指挥舰“惠特尼山”号在波罗的海航行，参加第23届波罗的海行动（BALTOPS 23）。（图片由主办方提供）

6月9日，美国空军和海军飞行员完成了“北极挑战”演习，这是一项由北欧国家组织的空中作战演习，其他10个北约成员国也参与其中。

美国空军新闻办公室将今年在芬兰举行的北极挑战演习描述为“联盟在整个北欧地区的实力和能力的象征”。

幸运且眼尖的旁观者或许能看到F-35A“闪电II”战斗机、F-15E“攻击鹰”战斗机或KC-135R“同温层加油机”划过北极的天空。驻扎在英国莱肯希思皇家空军基地的第48战斗机联队与驻扎在米尔登霍尔的第100空中加油联队以及缅因州空中国民警卫队的第101空中加油联队合作，协调美国空军对“北极挑战”演习的飞行任务。来自内利斯空军基地第414战斗训练中队（该中队在内华达州执行“红旗”军演）的人员协助美国及其伙伴国的飞行员模拟作战场景。

6月6日，在“波罗的海行动23”演习期间，一名水兵在“保罗·伊格内修斯”号驱逐舰的飞行甲板上向一架MH-60R“海鹰”直升机发出信号。（海军一级军士长扎克·谢伊/海军）

尽管“波罗的海行动”和“北极挑战”没有直接联系，但一些部队同时参与了这两项演习。据美国第六舰队发言人卡尔·肖恩伯格中校称，隶属于“杰拉尔德·R·福特”号航母打击群的第8舰载航空联队的美国海军飞行员驾驶飞机参加了这两项演习的模拟任务。

“参加 BALTOPS 23 和北极挑战赛，使我们能够与盟友和伙伴进行综合训练和高强度活动，从而增强北约联盟的集体防御能力，”第 8 舰载航空联队指挥官丹·卡特林上尉告诉《军事时报》。

俄罗斯入侵乌克兰为北约注入了新的活力。

在特朗普政府时期，北约曾被斥为过时且限制性强的伙伴关系，但如今在大西洋两岸的分析人士和政策制定者眼中，它已重新成为抵御未来俄罗斯侵略的堡垒。芬兰于今年4月加入北约，正式成为北约成员国，并首次以“波罗的海行动”（BALTOPS）成员身份亮相，放弃了数十年来公开的战略中立立场。瑞典的入盟申请因土耳其的阻挠而迟迟未获批准。

6月5日，一架F/A-18F超级大黄蜂战斗机从“杰拉尔德·R·福特”号航空母舰的飞行甲板上起飞，这是“北极挑战”演习的一部分。（海军陆战队海军上士麦克斯韦·奥尔洛斯基/海军）

北欧联合军演紧随其他几项备受瞩目的欧美军事行动之后。世界最大军舰“福特”号于5月下旬停靠奥斯陆港，随后驶往北极圈参加“北极挑战”演习。美国及其北约盟国在5月举行的两年一度的“强大盾牌”联合军演中展示了其协同作战的防空和导弹防御系统。

为期两个月的“捍卫者23”联合行动于4月下旬启动，该行动涵盖了整个欧洲大陆的多项陆上演习。其空中对应行动“空中捍卫者2023”——北约有史以来规模最大的多国空中作战演习——已于周一开始，并将于6月23日结束。

6月7日，在芬兰皮尔卡拉举行的2023年北极挑战演习期间，美国空军第494战斗机代队电气系统技师、高级空军士兵特伦斯·米德尔顿正在为一架F-15E“攻击鹰”战斗机准备起飞。（空军参谋军士加斯帕·科尔特斯摄）

俄罗斯对美国和北约的一系列军事演习感到不安。当得知“福特”号航母抵达挪威时，克里姆林宫勃然大怒。俄罗斯军方曾积极参与“波罗的海行动”，但为了回应其所称的北约“挑衅性”演习，俄军于6月5日启动了自己的波罗的海演习，部署了约3500名士兵、40艘舰艇和25架飞机。

俄罗斯过去曾多次参与北约在波罗的海举行的联合军事演习。2020年，北约舰艇在波涛汹涌的海面上进行演练时，俄罗斯战斗机扫射了海上目标。次年，在北约舰艇启程参加“波罗的海行动”（BALTOPS）演习的第二天，俄罗斯军舰在斯德哥尔摩附近海域航行。目前尚未有俄罗斯和北约部署在该地区的部队发生碰撞或险些相撞的报道。

杰米·摩尔-卡里略是《军事时报》和《防务新闻》的编辑助理。他出生于波士顿，毕业于乔治城大学，拥有国际事务、历史和阿拉伯语学位。在校期间，他曾担任学生报纸《霍亚报》的高级编辑。