German navy will lead drill to defend the Baltics from the sea

COLOGNE, Germany — The German navy is slated to lead a multinational drill in the Baltic Sea in September meant to help defend NATO members Estonia and Latvia against an attack, presumably from neighboring Russia.

The annual Northern Coasts exercise series has offered Baltic Sea nations a chance to test operations as a combined force since its inception in 2007. With Russia’s attack against Ukraine as the backdrop, planners this year have made clear this year’s iteration was conceived to address the real-world possibility of an attack against NATO on the northeastern flank.

The main exercise area this year, from Sept. 9 to Sept. 23, will be the waters off Estonia and Latvia, leaving only the Baltics’ southernmost nation of Lithuania as a buffer between the exercise action and Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave.

The drill is set to include 3,200 personnel from 14 nations, roughly 30 vessels, submarines and up to 15 aircraft as well as amphibious formations, according to a Germany navy statement. Participants will fall under five task groups — two standing NATO formations in charge of the Baltic Sea, two led by Germany, including one that includes anti-submarine aircraft, and one amphibious task group led by the United States.

A newly established command element based in Rostock, Germany, the German Maritime Forces Staff, will direct the exercise. Officials there hope the experience will help round out any kinks toward the unit’s full operational capability.

The Baltic Sea has strategic significance as a commercial and military bottleneck, with more than 2,500 cargo ships delivering import and exports goods through it daily, according to the German defense ministry. The Baltic Sea route is also the main NATO resupply line to member nations Finland and the Baltics, as the thin strip of land that connects Poland to the Baltic nations, through Belarus to the east and Kaliningrad to the northwest, supports only limited flow and may collapse during conflict.

NATO members have celebrated the accession of Baltic Sea nation Finland to the alliance, plus neighboring Sweden’s pending application, as a chance for a beefier naval posture in the body of water, which is known for its shallow depth.

Russia has its own Baltic Fleet, headquartered in Kaliningrad, with ships routinely observing Western naval exercises in the area from a distance. Moscow last staged its own Baltic naval drills in early August.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

德国科隆——德国海军计划于9月在波罗的海领导一次多国联合演习，旨在帮助北约成员国爱沙尼亚和拉脱维亚抵御攻击，而攻击很可能来自邻国俄罗斯。

自 2007 年创立以来，一年一度的“北方海岸”系列演习为波罗的海沿岸各国提供了一个检验联合作战能力的机会。在俄罗斯袭击乌克兰的背景下，今年的演习策划者明确表示，今年的演习旨在应对北约东北侧翼遭受攻击的现实可能性。

今年9月9日至9月23日的主要演习区域将是爱沙尼亚和拉脱维亚附近的海域，只留下波罗的海三国最南端的立陶宛作为演习行动和俄罗斯加里宁格勒飞地之间的缓冲区。

据德国海军声明，此次演习将有来自14个国家的3200名人员参加，约30艘舰艇、潜艇和多达15架飞机以及两栖作战编队。参演人员将隶属于五个特遣队——两个负责波罗的海的北约常备编队、两个由德国领导的特遣队（其中一个包含反潜飞机）以及一个由美国领导的两栖特遣队。

此次演习将由新成立的、总部设在德国罗斯托克的德国海军参谋部指挥。该部门官员希望此次演习能够帮助该部队完善各项技能，使其具备全面作战能力。

波罗的海作为商业和军事要道具有重要的战略意义，据德国国防部统计，每天有超过2500艘货船经由此地进行进出口货物运输。波罗的海航线也是北约向成员国芬兰和波罗的海三国的主要补给线，因为连接波兰和波罗的海三国的狭长地带，东经白俄罗斯，西北经加里宁格勒，仅能承载有限的通行能力，且在冲突期间可能崩溃。

北约成员国对波罗的海国家芬兰加入该联盟表示欢迎，加上邻国瑞典的申请也即将提交，认为这为北约在以水深浅著称的波罗的海地区建立更强大的海军力量提供了机会。

俄罗斯拥有自己的波罗的海舰队，总部设在加里宁格勒，其舰艇经常从远处观察该地区的西方海军演习。莫斯科最近一次举行波罗的海海军演习是在8月初。

塞巴斯蒂安·斯普伦格是《防务新闻》欧洲版副主编，负责报道该地区的防务市场状况，以及美欧在防务和全球安全领域的合作和多国投资。此前，他曾担任《防务新闻》执行主编。他现居德国科隆。