Maritime Forces Train in Air Defense during BALTOPS 2012

By Lt. Cmdr. Candice Tresch, Expeditionary Strike Group 2 Public Affairs USS NORMANDY, At Sea (NNS) -- Maritime forces participating in Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2012, one of the largest multinational maritime exercise in the Baltic region, opened its third day at sea by training to respond to airborne adversary attacks, June 5.

The crew of USS Normandy (CG 60) and the embarked Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 2 staff; in cooperation with 11 other partnering nations; trained to spot, prepare for, and defend against various airborne attacks to include low sly flyers dispersing toxic chemicals as part of the BALTOPS 2012 exercise.

"Today was the first big day of air battle," said German navy 1st Lt. Oliuer Salmen, air safety officer embarked aboard USS Normandy. "There were twenty-two aircraft sorties that contributed to the exercise by flying against ships, providing support through reconnaissance, and independently observing for the CET/FIT portion of the exercise."

The Combat Enhancement Training (CET) and Force Integration Training (FIT) phase of BALTOPS is the scripted portion of the exercise which allows participating nations and units to build a common operating picture and understanding of each others' tactics in order to strengthen interoperability for the follow-on unscripted phase of the exercise, where simulated opposition forces are identified and combated.

"To prepare for this event, we ran two, three air and subsurface attack scenarios a day during our translant to the Baltic," said Lt. j.g. Michael Foster, the ship's training officer. "During a segment of the event, an inbound PC-9 dropped red dye water and the crew donned gas masks and flash gear in accordance with our pre-planned responses."

"We learned a lot from each other throughout the air defense exercises; there is always something to be learned when navies come together," said Lt. Cmdr. Brandon Murray, ESG-2's BALTOPS operations officer/lead planner. "Everyone brings different perspectives on how to attack the same problem. That extends our knowledge base and makes us a stronger, more capable force."

During air defense events, USS Normandy and the U.S. Air Force alternated serving as Airspace Safety to ensure a safe and realistic training evolution. The embarked ESG-2 Commander, Rear Adm. Ann C. Phillips, is the exercise Combined Forces Maritime component commander.

Air defense is one set of skills which will be honed during BALTOPS 2012. Other events include towing, subsurface exercises and visit boarding search and seizure operations.

Milcom Blog Logs: Baltops 2010 Intercepts

Wolfgang nr Munich, Germany, passed along the following Baltops 2010 Exercise logs via the UDXF. Thanks Wolfgang for sharing your observations with the rest of us.

05173.0 SWG: USS Stephen W. Groves FFG29 USA 0732 usb clg SIM for rc, pd check , then clg MTW for same check 2010-06-16.

05173.0 MTW: USS Mount Whitney LCC20 USA 0725 usb called by SIM rc, out 2010-06-16

05173.0 SIM: USS Simpson FFG56 USA 0725 usb clg MTW for rc, out 2010-06-16

05173.0 BAY: FGS Bayern F217 (DRAJ) GER 1945 usb qso with GIANT, rdo chk, out 2010-06-15

05173.0 GIANT: USS Mount Whitney LCC 20 USA 1945 usb clg any unit, raising BAY, rc, out 2010-06-15

06777.2 DRFP: FGS Herten M1099 D 0937 usb/stanag4285/75L qso dhj59 2010-06-13

BALTOPS 2010 Kicks Off

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Jenniffer Rivera, Navy Public Affairs Support Element East Detachment Europe

USS MOUNT WHITNEY, At Sea (NNS) -- Maritime forces from 12 countries began participating in a multinational naval exercise in the Baltic Sea June 7-19.

The Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) exercise is an annual event aimed at improving interoperability and cooperation among regional allies.

"The United States has sponsored BALTOPS for the past 37 years because of the unique opportunity it offers," said Rear Adm. Michelle Howard, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 2. "It allows us to operate collectively with our regional partners and enhance maritime security in the Baltic Sea."

During the exercise Sailors will work side-by-side with other personnel from partner nations, both on land and at sea, and will become familiar with countries' military operating procedures and practices.

"BALTOPS has traditionally been a maritime exercise with operations conducted solely at sea, but this year's exercise has added two additional pieces," said British Navy Rear Adm. Ian Corder, deputy commander, Combined Joint Task Forces BALTOPS. "We will be conducting an offload in Latvia and an amphibious exercise in Estonia. While the maritime piece remains the primary activity of BALTOPS, these other two pillars provide diversity of operations not previously experienced in this exercise."

The goal is to work together to improve each country's ability to counter threats to maritime safety and security and conduct other operations such as peacekeeping or humanitarian responses.

Nations participating in this 38th anniversary of BALTOPS include Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the United States.

"We recognize the commitment of nations in providing these forces, and we are grateful for their contributions," said Corder. "Accordingly, we have a challenging and relevant exercise planned, with portions of the training dedicated to counter-piracy and maritime interdictions operations, two areas in which many navies currently focus much of their time and energy."

The events scheduled for range from traditional activities to emerging missions. Some of the traditional activities include mine clearance operations, anti-submarine warfare and surface-to-air defense, while the newer operations include counterpiracy, small-boat attack and other maritime security tasks.