Bruņoto spēku komandieris vizītē Igaunijā pārrunās aktualitātes aizsardzības jomā

On Tuesday, 6 June 2017, STRIKFORNATO Commander/ Commander of US 6th Fleet Vice Admiral Christopher Grady, Maj Gen Leonīds Kalniņš, Chief of the Defence of Latvia, Deputy Chief of Mission to Latvia Sharon Hudson-Dean and other foreign and Latvian dignitaries will attend the international distinguished visitors day of the exercise ‘Baltops’ in Vārve, Ventspils region. 

 Distinguished visitors shall observe US Marines amphibious landing from USS Arlington. This operation will be performed together with 46th Infantry Battalion of National Guard of Latvia.

From 1st of June until the16th of June Baltic Naval Squadron, BALTRON, led by Naval Fleet and Tactical Command of Naval Fleet, takes part in the biggest US-led naval training in the Baltic Sea, Baltops, which began in 1972.

Latvian armed forces are represented at the 45th international training Baltops by the Naval fleet vessel A90 Varonis, which also is the command point of BALTRON, and Mine sweeper M08 Rūsiņš, which serves as the tactical command point for the training. Polish and Swedish mine sweepers have join the BALTRON command point during the training. Latvian and Lithuanian officers are the core of the squadron’s command point on daily basis.

BALTOPS is the annual training held on the Baltic Sea. It enables NATO and its regional partners to strengthen the interoperability of forces and perform joint combined tactical manoeuvres based on different scenarios. This year’s exercise is attended by air, naval and land forces of 14 allied and partner countries, namely USA, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Latvia, the UK, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Germany and NATO partner countries Finland and Sweden. Latvia joined the BALTOPS training in 1996.

The exercise, which will involve 4,000 shipboard personnel, 50 ships and submarines and more than 50 aircraft, is designed to enhance flexibility and interoperability, to strengthen combined response capabilities, as well as demonstrate resolve among Allied and Partner Nations’ forces to ensure stability in, and if necessary defend, the Baltic Sea region.

BALTOPS training was inaugurated in Szczecin, Poland, and will traditionally conclude in Kiel, Germany.