Over the next week, HMS Kent and minehunter HMS Ramsey will
sail alongside 26 other vessels and 29 aircraft as 3,000
personnel from 17 NATO nations and two NATO partner nations
strengthen their combined maritime capabilities and
demonstrate their collective resolve to safeguard security
in the Baltic Sea Region.
HMS Ramsey will join the exercise as part of her five-week
deployment with the NATO Standing Mine Countermeasures
Group 1. The NATO force is dedicated to eliminating the
threat of historic mines in waters of northern Europe,
practising dealing with present-day mines and promoting the
alliance and freedom of the seas.
BALTOPS will see Allies train together on a variety of
maritime exercises including air defence, anti-submarine
warfare and mine-hunting.
Minister for the Armed Forces said:
HMS Kent represents a Navy that has continued to train
and operate throughout the Coronavirus pandemic so that,
alongside our allies, we’re ready for whatever comes
next.
The UK is committed to the independence of the Baltic Sea
Region and this exercise along with a range of other UK
military activity helps to deters threats and defends our
interests in the region. With HMS Kent exercising on
BALTOPS, the UK will contribute to the region’s security in
the sea, the sky and on land.
HMS Kent’s Commanding Officer Commander Matt Sykes said:
My ship’s company are eager to take part in the exercise
and up for the challenge, focussing on our ability to
operate seamlessly with our NATO and partner nations.
In these turbulent times, it is also vitally important
that we demonstrate our commitment to the region and to
upholding the principles of freedom of access to the
Baltic Sea.
There are currently over 800 British Army personnel
deployed in Estonia, where they lead a multinational
battlegroup as part of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence.
Elsewhere, RAF Typhoons are in Lithuania this summer to
contribute to the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission.
HMS Kent’s participation in BALTOPS represents a return to
the Baltic Sea Region for the ship and her crew after she
took part in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) deployment
Baltic Protector last year. The JEF is a UK-led
high-readiness force of nine north European nations that
helps to uphold security in the region.
