Training audience of BALTOPS 24 are arriving at the port of Klaipėda: the total of over 30 Allied warships are manned by over 4 thousand seamen, marines, navy aviation and other navy specialist personnel. Representatives of the training audience will stay in Klaipėda on June 4 through 7 to take part in the Pre-sail Conference for the second time hosted by the Lithuanian Navy.
This is going to be the largest exercise in scope to ever take place in the Baltic Sea. The exercise will be conducted with approx. 9.000 military and other personnel, over 50 ships, more than 80 aircraft from 20 NATO Allies. Sweden, even though a participants of BALTOPS since 1990, this year will for the first time train as a new Ally whose accession has massively strengthened NATO’s military sea power in the Baltic Sea. .
The drills is organized by the U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa / U.S. Sixth Fleet while command and control is provided by the NATO Striking and Support Forces (STRIKFORNATO) to provide the Allies with an opportunity to train contingency response and protection of navigation and security in the Baltic Sea region.
The training operation will hone amphibious landing, fire support, anti-submarine warfare aircraft defence, mine hunting and sweeping, surface and underwater drone, and other operations. The tactical phase in the Baltic Sea on June 7-22 will include two Lithuanian Navy ships, Skalvis (M53) MCM ships and Aukštaitis (P14) patrol ship. The Baltic Naval Squadron (BALTRON) under command of Lt Cdr Karolis Lileikis (Lithuanian Navy). Lithuania has been training in BALTOPS annually since 1993.
The incoming ships are met by the Žaibas speedboat flying the Navy ensign transferred to the Navy lines from the Klaipėda State Seaport Authority on a non-reimbursable basis. The craft has been assigned to the Craft Group of the Shallow Waters Team of the Port and Coastal Defence Service. It will be used for patrolling, force protection, reconnaissance, support for diving tasks in the Curonian Lagoon and harbor and littoral waters of state seaport of Klaipėda. Rescue speedboat Žaibas built in 1997 in Sweden is 11.88 meters in length, stands at 2.90 meters in height an sails at maximum 40 knots.
Photo credits: SSgt Spc Ieva Budzeikaitė
