File:Exercise BALTOPS 23 gets underway (1).webm

Twenty nations, 50 ships, more than 45 aircraft and 6,000 personnel are participating in exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2023, an annual maritime exercise.

Held annually in the Baltic Sea, this year’s iteration started on 4 June and will continue until 16 June, giving NATO Allies and partners a chance to practise large-scale maritime and amphibious operations. Led by the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet, the exercise is controlled by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO), NATO’s maritime operational staff. While Finland has participated in previous iterations of the exercise, this year marks the first time the country participates as a NATO member country. With more than 50 years of history, BALTOPS is one of the longest-running exercises held by NATO Allies.

This footage was filmed on board the US Navy command and control ship USS Mount Whitney and German Navy frigate FGS Bayern. The footage includes various shots of sailors participating in the exercise, a US Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopter conducting airborne operations, formation of ships sailing together, and soundbites from US and German officers. Transcript ---SHOTLIST— (00:00) MEDIUM SHOT - USS PAUL IGNATIUS DOCKED AT TALLINN PORT (00:05) MEDIUM SHOT - POLISH NAVY ORP GENERAŁ TADEUSZ KOŚCIUSZKO LEAVING THE DOCK FROM TALLINN (00:09) MEDIUM SHOT - MH-60 SEAHAWK HELICOPTER ON THE DECK OF USS MOUNT WHITNEY (00:14) VARIOUS SHOTS - USS MOUNT WHITNEY LEAVING THE PORT OF TALLINN (00:36) VARIOUS SHOTS - US NAVY CREW MEMBERS PREPARE FOR FLIGHT (01:01) MEDIUM SHOT - US NAVY MH-60 SEAHAWK HELICOPTER PREPARES TO TAKE OFF (01:04) VARIOUS SHOTS - MH-60 SEAHAWK HELICOPTER AIRBORNE (01:16) VARIOUS SHOTS - MH-60 SEAHAWK HELICOPTER CONDUCTS SIMULATED SEARCH AND RESCUE MISSION (01:57) VARIOUS SHOTS - MH-60 SEAHAWK HELICOPTER CONDUCTS FLY-OVER OVER USS MOUNT WHITNEY (02:29) MEDIUM SHOT - MH-60 SEAHAWK HELICOPTER GETS REFUELLED (02:35) VARIOUS SHOTS - MH-60 SEAHAWK ON THE DECK OF USS MOUNT WHITNEY WITH USS PAUL IGNATIUS PASSING BY IN THE BACKGROUND (02:40) VARIOUS SHOTS - MH-60 SEAHAWK HELICOPTER PREPARES TO TAKE OFF (02:55) VARIOUS SHOTS - MH-60 SEAHAWK HELICOPTER TAKES OFF (03:13) VARIOUS SHOTS - SHIPS FROM NATO ALLIES AND SWEDEN SAIL TOGETHER IN CLOSE FORMATION (03:51) VARIOUS SHOTS - US SAILORS DISCUSS TACTICS AND CONDUCT OPERATIONS ON THE BRIDGE (04:29) VARIOUS SHOTS - MH-60 SEAHAWK HELICOPTER AIRLIFTING CARGO TO GERMAN NAVY FGS BAYERN (04:49) VARIOUS SHOTS - GERMAN NAVY FGS BAYERN’S RADAR SYSTEM (04:59) VARIOUS SHOTS - GERMAN SAILORS CONDUCT OPERATIONS ON THE BRIDGE (05:30) MEDIUM SHOT - FIRING DRILLS OF THE BK-27 RAPID-FIRE CANNON FROM THE FGS BAYERN (05:36) MEDIUM SHOT - GERMAN NAVY FGS BAYERN WITH A SUNSET VIEW (05:39) VARIOUS SHOTS - US MARINES PREPARE TO CONDUCT AMPHIBIOUS OPERATIONS FROM FGS BAYERN (05:53) VARIOUS SHOTS - GERMAN SAILORS TAKE PART IN DRILLS (06:02) VARIOUS SHOTS - GERMAN SAILORS DISCUSS TACTICS AND CONDUCT OPERATIONS ON THE BRIDGE (06:23) MEDIUM SHOT - GERMAN SAILORS CONDUCT OPERATIONS ON THE BRIDGE WITH THEIR COMBAT GEAR (06:28) MEDIUM SHOT - GERMAN SAILORS CONDUCT OPERATIONS ON THE BRIDGE (06:34) MEDIUM SHOT - GERMAN SAILORS AND US MARINE DISCUSS TACTICS AND CONDUCT OPERATIONS ON THE BRIDGE (06:39) MEDIUM SHOT - FIRING DRILLS WITH OTO MELARA 76 MM NAVAL GUN FROM FGS BAYERN (06:44) VARIOUS SHOTS - GERMAN SAILORS CONDUCT OPERATIONS ON THE BRIDGE (06:53) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - CAPTAIN MATTHEW KISER - COMMANDING OFFICER, USS MOUNT WHITNEY, US NAVY BALTOPS allows us the opportunity to demonstrate the United States commitment to interoperability with our NATO partners and Allies. We are committed to being in this region and we're more so in committed to ensure through our presence that we're deterring Russian aggression and that the Baltic neighbours that will be operating and exercising around know that we're committed to their security and freedom of navigation. (07:25) SOUNDBITE (GERMAN) - COMMANDER DENNIS FAUERBACH - COMMANDING OFFICER, FGS BAYERN, GERMAN NAVY What is really important about this exercise in this special area is of course, like all other NATO exercises. It's proving ourselves that we are still able to interoperate, to cooperate and if required to fight together, strong together. And doing this exercise in this special region, it's a very positive statement towards the security in this region. (07:53) SOUNDBITE (GERMAN) - COMMANDER DENNIS FAUERBACH - COMMANDING OFFICER, FGS BAYERN, GERMAN NAVY The frigate Bayern is taking part in BALTOPS this year, a NATO drill that has always been supported by the German Navy. Bordering the Baltic Sea, Germany has a clear interest in a safe and peaceful region. One of the priorities for the Bayern during this exercise is to strengthen the relations with US Marines, which are currently deployed on the Bayern for the duration of the exercise. As part of the exercise, the Marines will be taken ashore by us to act as spotters to direct naval gunfire support. (08:35) SOUNDBITE (GERMAN) - COMMANDER DENNIS FAUERBACH - COMMANDING OFFICER, FGS BAYERN, GERMAN NAVY BALTOPS and the scenario that is being exercised is an important element to improve the interoperability within NATO, and to test how quickly we can come together, cooperate together and, if we need to, fight together. (09:02) SOUNDBITE - CAPTAIN JULIAN GAETA, PLATOON COMMANDER, 2ND RECONNAISSANCE BATTALION, US MARINES We are deployed under Task Force 61/2, currently embarked upon the German frigate FGS Bayern. So what we have done so far is some naval gunfire ranges here in Latvia, we've done some amphibious landings, communicated with the ship, done some joint planning, as well as brief the ship CO as we would any other commander and have been working the interoperability and support of Joint Maritime Domain Awareness. (09:36) SOUNDBITE - CAPTAIN JULIAN GAETA, PLATOON COMMANDER, 2ND RECONNAISSANCE BATTALION, US MARINES Since we've been embarked, it's been a wonderful experience. The Germans are extraordinary hosts. They've catered to everything and anything we could have asked for. We've had a good relationship, exchanging information, exchanging knowledge, and it's definitely a relationship that we're going to be looking to continue in the future. Usage rights