US Marines training with Estonia's navy during BALTOPS exercise

The U.S. Marine Corps is training with the Estonian Navy as part of BALTOPS, the largest naval exercise in the Baltic Sea, where personnel will cooperate in surveillance and maritime situational awareness.

The contingent, from the 2d Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Battalion, arrived in Estonia this week, and their deployment lasts until the end of June.

"Exercise BALTOPS allows us to sharpen our skills in conducting amphibious and coastal defense operations," said Major Patrick Sexton, commander of the United States contingent.

"The United States Marine Corps is integrated into Estonian Navy operations to project overwhelming force from sea to land. The goal is to maintain a military advantage that enables allies to act decisively and win wars in the Baltic Sea region," he added.

During the deployment, the Marines will cooperate with Estonian naval personnel in surveillance and maritime situational awareness around the Estonian coast.

This is already the fifth time that United States Marines have cooperated with the Estonian Navy in this format since 2022.

Lieutenant Commander Tanel Kangro, deputy chief of staff for operations of the Navy, said this is part of long-term cooperation between the Marine Corps contingent and the Estonian Navy.

"As part of this cooperation, there is continuous development both in creating the maritime picture and improving related procedures, as well as in testing different equipment," he said.

Throughout the exercise, the United States contingent will be permanently based at the Miinisadam campus in Tallinn and will support the activities of the ships and shore units participating in BALTOPS.

This year's BALTOPS began on June 4 in Poland, from where 20 allied ships headed to exercise areas in the Baltic Sea.

In total, approximately 6,000 military personnel from 15 NATO member states are taking part in the exercise.

Launched in 1972, BALTOPS is an annual U.S.-led multinational exercise in the Baltic Sea region.

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