Hi, I’m Vice Admiral Jamie Foggo, Commander of BALTOPS two thousand sixteen (2016). This is the second year I have had the honor of leading BALTOPS as Commander, Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO.
For the forty fourth (44) iteration of BALTOPS our motto is “Baltic unity and strength delivers Baltic security.”
Forces from fifteen (15) NATO countries and two (2) partner nations, Finland and Sweden, operated together for the last two weeks in the Baltic Sea. Forty three (43) ships, including three submarines; over sixty (60) aircraft and five thousand (5000) personnel, including seven hundred (700) marines trained together to improve our interoperability across the full spectrum of maritime operations.
First, the mine countermeasure vessels swept the operating areas to locate and neutralize any mine threats. Not only did they find our practice mines, they found and destroyed unexploded ordnance from the World War Two (WWII) era.
Submarines and surface ships conducted anti-surface and anti-subsurface warfare to obtain local maritime superiority, which was needed to protect the high value units. Last year we had one (1) submarine; this year we have three (3) significantly enhancing our anti-submarine warfare opportunities.
During Maritime Interdiction Operations Sailors and Marines boarded other surface vessels and searched for prohibited materials.
Ships assigned to the surface task units worked with friendly air craft to provide air defense coverage over the high value units.
“Amphibiosity,” was our main focus during BALTOPS. Over a period of ten days, seven hundred (700) Marines from six nations: Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, landed in three countries, which really increased the training value. Three landings this year, as opposed to only two last year—we’re stressing the force! The first landing in Hanko, Finland, was only one day after we sailed from Tallinn, Estonia.
The Sailors, Marines and airmen conducted Combat enhancement training and force integration training before entering the tactical phase of the exercise. On the Island of Uto, Sweden, Swedish Marines provided and opposition force, as Marines from Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States came ashore from a Dutch, English and American amphibious ships.
The training intensified as the forces in Sweden re-embarked to the ships and moved toward the final exercise phase in Poland.
Coming together has been extremely valuable for the airmen, sailors and marines involved, and I am continually impressed with the amount we achieved in such a short time. Each person, regardless of nationality, rank or specialty, directly contributed to our mission.
We honed our skills in amphibious, anti-submarine, anti-surface, and mine counter measure warfare and are now better prepared to ensure regional security in whatever way we might be needed….
