NATO Fleets Team Up For Baltic Sentry Exercise

Two standing NATO task forces linked up in the Baltic Sea to conduct an exercise in support of its new Baltic Sentry initiative to protect critical undersea infrastructure (CUI).

Vessels from Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) both returned to sea yesterday (Tuesday).

And SNMG1 conducted a “dynamic exercise” alongside SNMCMG1 and two Dutch F-35s from NATO Air Policing in a coordinated effort between maritime and air forces designed to demonstrate the extent of the combined forces’ interoperability and their collective strength and state of readiness.

Via a LinkedIn post SNMG1 Commander Arjen Warnaar commented: "Proud to see NATO teamwork in action today — a great way to start off Baltic Sentry!"

He added: "This exercise highlights what NATO does best: working together to ensure security for our Allies."

Download our free report: Navy Tech 2025: Countering Grey-Zone Tactics To Protect Critical Undersea Infrastructure

SNMG1 and SNMCMG1 are two of four mission-ready NATO fleets coordinated from Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), headquartered in Northwood, United Kingdom, the central command of all NATO maritime forces. Both operate mainly in the North Sea, Baltic Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean.

As well as its standing fleets, the Baltic Sentry mission to enhance the security of CUI is being backed by uncrewed systems. As per a recent NATO statement, Baltic Sentry will combine existing surface and subsea assets and maritime patrol aircraft with a range of new technologies “including a small fleet of naval drones.”

Baltic Sentry also follows hot on the heels of the permanent launching of Nordic Warden by the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) — ten north-European NATO allies led by the U.K. 

Nordic Warden uses AI to assess data from various sources, including the Automatic Identification System (AIS) ships use to broadcast their position, to calculate the risk posed by each vessel. The system sends out alerts to JEF and NATO allies if it calculates there is a potential risk to CUI.