The exercise, which will run by September 12, focuses on the protection of the region, logistics and the removal of naval mines.
On Monday, large military maneuvers called Quadriga, where approximately 8,000 soldiers from 14 NATO countries are involved in the Baltic Sea, began on Monday and is aimed at rehearsing the protection of the region in crisis and war conditions. TASR informs about this, referring to DPA.
There are also 40 ships, 30 aircraft and helicopters and more than 1,800 vehicles in the exercise that lasts until 12 September and this time is not formally involved. It is attended by soldiers from Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, France, Britain, the USA, Belgium, the Netherlands and Canada.
Second routes
The Northern Coasts Marine Component has been held annually since 2007 on the initiative of the German Navy. Its aim is to provide maritime routes for the transport of troops. Emphasis is placed on the removal of naval mines and the protection of critical infrastructure.
The General Inspector of the German Armed Forces Carsten Breuer pointed out in this context the special sensitivity of the exercise, as it partially overlaps with the common strategic maneuvers of Russia and Belarus West 2025, which will take place from 12 to 16 September. According to Breuer, about 13,000 Belarusian and 30,000 Russian soldiers will take part in them.
Infrastructure protection
“Successful military operations always have one assumption: functioning logistics,” Breuer stressed. Therefore, the entire supplier chain is practiced. Particular emphasis is placed on internal safety. Within the partial exercise of the National Guardian, active forces and midfielders, together with civilian components, will provide critical defense infrastructure such as ports and supply routes in Germany.
“We want to deter; we don’t want escalation. We practice exclusively defense,” Breuer said.
