This year exercise BALTOPS was led by the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet and brought together 6,000 personnel, 20 ships and forces from 15 NATO Allies. This long-running exercise is designed to strengthen maritime readiness, improve interoperability and demonstrate the Alliance’s ability to deter and defend in a strategically vital region – the Baltic Sea.
This year’s exercise was controlled by NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum – for the first time since 1972 - enabling participants to train under a NATO command structure.
Forces conducted a wide range of maritime operations, including amphibious landings, air defence, anti-submarine warfare, mine counter-measures, crisis response and experimentation with uncrewed systems. In a time of crisis, these drills would help Allies protect the sea lines of communication that would enable supplies and support to flow to troops on the ground.
Footage includes shots aboard the FGS Sachsen-Anhalt, the HDMS Absalon and La Fayette. Soundbites from Flotilla Admiral Bo Overgaard, Deputy Commander of the Royal Danish Navy.
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(00:00) VARIOUS SHOTS – A FRIGATE FOLLOWS CLOSELY BEHIND THE FGS SACHSEN-ANHALT TO NAVIGATE A SIMULATED MINEFIELD
(00:14) VARIOUS SHOTS – GERMAN NAVY OFFICERS NAVIGATE IN THE DARK THROUGH A SIMULATED MINEFIELD IN THE BRIDGE OF THE FGS SACHSEN-ANHALT
(00:26) VARIOUS SHOTS – A GERMAN NAVY WATCHMAN LOOKS OUT OVER THE SEA ABOARD THE FGS SACHSEN-ANHALT
(00:38) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH NAVY CREW DETECT A SUBMARINE
(01:12) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH NAVY CREW PREPARE THE TORPEDOES FOR LAUNCH
(01:29) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH CREW DETECT A SIMULATED INCOMING TORPEDO
(01:39) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH CREW TAKE EVASIVE MANOEUVRES TO AVOID THE INCOMING TORPEDO
(02:15) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH NAVY CREW IN THE OPERATIONS ROOM INITIATE A SEQUENCE TO RETURN FIRE
(02:37) VARIOUS SHOTS – A TORPEDO IS FIRED
(02:51) VARIOUS SHOTS – GERMAN NAVAL FLIGHT CREWS PREPARE AN NH-90 HELICOPTER FOR LAUNCH
(02:59) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH NAVY PILOTS SCRAMBLE TO THEIR HELICOPTERS
(03:16) VARIOUS SHOTS – A GERMAN NH-90 HELICOPTER TAKES OFF
(03:34) VARIOUS SHOTS – A DANISH NAVY MH-60 HELICOPTER LANDS ABOARD THE HDMS ABSALON
(03:44) VARIOUS SHOTS (WITH AND WITHOUT SOUND) – DANISH NAVY PILOTS FLY THEIR UH-60 HELICOPTERS
(04:05) MEDIUM SHOT – A GERMAN NAVY PILOT HANGS OUT OF THE DOOR OF AN NH-90 HELICOPTER
(04:10) VARIOUS SHOTS – A GERMAN NAVY NH-90 HELICOPTER LANDS ON THE DECK OF THE FGS SACHSEN-ANHALT
(04:22) WIDE SHOT – A GERMAN NAVY SAILOR GUIDES THE HELICOPTER TO TAKE OFF FROM THE FLIGHT DECK
(04:27) VARIOUS SHOTS – A GERMAN NAVY NH-90 HELICOPTER CARRIES CARGO ONTO THE DECK OF THE FGS SACHSEN-ANHALT
(04:45) VARIOUS SHOTS – GERMAN MARINES FASTROPE ONTO THE DECK OF THE FGS SACHSEN-ANHALT
(05:05) VARIOUS SHOTS (WITH AND WITHOUT SOUND) – GERMAN NAVY FLIGHT CREW GUIDE THE HELICOPTER IN TO LAND ON THE FLIGHT DECK
(05:23) VARIOUS SHOTS – INTERIOR VIEW FROM AN UH-60 HELICOPTER LANDING ABOARD THE HDMS ABSALON
(05:48) VARIOUS SHOTS – A GERMAN NAVY NH-90 HELICOPTER FOLDS UP TO BE STORED IN THE HANGAR ABOARD THE FGS SACHSEN-ANHALT
(06:01) VARIOUS SHOTS – GERMAN AIR CREW NAVIGATE FROM THE BRIDGE OF THE FGS SACHSEN-ANHALT
(06:14) VARIOUS SHOTS – THE FRENCH NAVY SHIP LA FAYETTE DOCKS IN RIGA HARBOUR
(06:59) VARIOUS SHOTS – GV OF THE WARNEMÜNDE NAVAL BASE IN ROSTOCK, GERMANY
(07:08) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) DANISH NAVY FLOTILLA ADMIRAL BO OVERGAARD, COMMANDER OF STANDING NATO MARITIME GROUP ONE
“The international flavour in every exercise is always important because we are stronger together, which is also the saying in NATO and I completely agree with that, but we are stronger together. Each nation brings different capabilities, different skills, different levels of expertise to the table. And the more the merrier, to be honest, because the more we are, the better we are and more diverse a group of thinkers you could say that are being brought together and better solutions are being developed.”
(07:44) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) DANISH NAVY FLOTILLA ADMIRAL BO OVERGAARD, COMMANDER OF STANDING NATO MARITIME GROUP ONE
“In an operational perspective, the most difficult part is to balance all the different threats with the capabilities that I have at hand. And in an exercise, we will normally produce more threats than we are able to counter. So, it is a bit artificial but that is to push us to the limit, but also to achieve the highest training level for all the ships.”
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