The flagship USS Mount Whitney, one of the two Blue Ridge-class amphibious command ships of the United States Navy, as well as the flagship of the Sixth Fleet stationed in the Mediterranean Sea, serves as a command platform
by Andrea Carli
The 2026 edition of BALTOPS is underway. It is an important multinational naval exercise under the umbrella of the Atlantic Alliance that takes place every year in the Baltic Sea. This year’s edition will conclude on June 20. Traditionally led by the United States Sixth Fleet, it aims to strengthen interoperability among NATO allies and partners.
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Fewer units involved due to US commitment in the Strait of Hormuz
This year about 20 warships, 6,000 military personnel, and 15 countries including Germany, France, and Poland are participating. Italy is not present. In the last edition, there were over 40 ships and about 9,000 military personnel.
The exercises include mine clearance activities, protection of communication lines around the Swedish island of Gotland, and amphibious operations.
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The flagship USS Mount Whitney, one of the two Blue Ridge-class amphibious command ships of the United States Navy, as well as the flagship of the Sixth Fleet stationed in the Mediterranean Sea, usually based in the port of Gaeta, serves as a command platform. The smaller number of units involved in this edition is a consequence of the simultaneous naval commitment of the United States in the Strait of Hormuz and the Arctic.
The custody of the Baltic by Germany and Poland
The fact that Sweden and Finland, which joined the Atlantic Alliance in recent years (the former in 2024; the latter a year earlier), are participating highlights the growing integration, at the level of defense strategies, of the countries belonging to the Nordic Baltic space (Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Poland), in a body of water where Russia maintains an operational submarine fleet in Kaliningrad and Saint Petersburg.
