Baltic Sea. (September 15, 2024): With both Finland and Sweden joining the alliance, the entire Baltic Sea has become known as NATO’s Lake. In this photo by Corporal Elton Taylor, French Special Forces board a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 (Reinforced), 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the French amphibious assault ship FS Mistral during Baltic Operations 24 (BALTOPS). The annual 21-day exercise involved more than fifty ships, eighty-five aircraft, and approximately 9,000 personnel. It is the first time that nearly all the 5,000 miles of the Baltic coastline are safeguarded by NATO forces.

At-sea, the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp and the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS New York conducted joint maneuvers with members of the French and Spanish navies. On land, armed forces from more than eight NATO nations conducted urban warfare training including tactical recovery of personnel, aerial insertions, and beach landings by Marines. NATO troops practiced deployment of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System in simulated combat scenarios.

BATOPS 24 also involved training in amphibious landings, naval gunnery, and anti-submarine warfare. Other topics covered air defense, mine clearance operations, and explosive ordnance disposal. Participating nations included Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States. 

The French Marines, or Troupes de Marine, has a strength of over 17,000 men and consists of twenty-six regiments amounting to fifteen percent of the French Army.