Nato launches largest Baltic Sea exercise amid US political tensions
Thursday 4th June 2026 on 13:15 in
Denmark
Nato’s annual BALTOPS exercise began Thursday in the Baltic Sea, with 15 nations and 20 military units participating in the alliance’s largest maritime drill in the region, Danish broadcaster DR reports.
The US-led exercise signals that Nato’s military cooperation remains operational despite political friction, according to Peter Viggo Jakobsen, a senior lecturer at the Danish Defence Academy. He noted the contrast between President Donald Trump’s repeated criticism of Nato and the Pentagon’s commitment to maintaining the alliance’s military activities.
“It’s a very schizophrenic relationship we have with the US right now,” Jakobsen said. “On one hand, the Trump administration says harsh things about Nato and odd things about Greenland. On the other, the US military insists on keeping Nato cooperation intact, demonstrating that the alliance’s machinery continues to function.”
Jakobsen warned that any reduction in US participation in exercises like BALTOPS would alarm European allies, as it would raise doubts about American support in a potential conflict. “If they won’t train with us in peacetime, we won’t trust them in wartime,” he said.
The Danish frigate Absalon is among the vessels taking part, conducting patrols and sovereignty enforcement in Danish waters, the Baltic Sea, and the North Atlantic.
Russian monitoring expected Last year’s BALTOPS triggered a surge in Russian aerial activity over the Baltic, with Denmark’s air defence scrambled 29 times in June—11 times more than the same month in 2024. Danish Rear Admiral Bo Overgaard, deputy commander of the navy, anticipates similar Russian observations this year.
“They want to see what we’re doing, and we expect them to be out there,” Overgaard said. “We accept each other’s presence, and it works fine day-to-day. Sometimes their aircraft come close, but we’re prepared for that.”
He added that Nato similarly monitors Russian exercises in the region, describing the dynamic as reciprocal.
Running from June 4–19, BALTOPS starts in Gdynia, Poland, and concludes in Kiel, Germany. The exercise has been held annually since 1971, with Denmark contributing the Absalon and the Naval Command Staff this year.