Translate to English 2,500 soldiers reach the Baltic Sea faster than planned

Like. NATO shows its flag in the Baltic Sea. After an assault from Rota in Spain, the Allied Reaction Force (ARF) arrived in Kiel with 2,500 soldiers on Wednesday. Schleswig-Holstein will be the scene of one of the largest NATO maneuvers in years. Remarkable: The USA is not there this time.

It is a successful premiere for the new Allied Reaction Force. Within eight days, the Allied reaction forces were moved from southern Spain to the wintry Baltic Sea. They had to make up a lot of time. Storms in southern Europe forced the start to be postponed. Nevertheless, the ships reached their destination on time.

When the NATO fleet moved through the Great Belt towards the Bay of Kiel on Wednesday, the journey took place as if it were heading to a crisis area. Speedboats secured the Kiel harbor entrance, corvettes and mine hunters monitored the fairway. “NATO 01”, a four-engine Awacs-type command center, circled at an altitude of 10,000 meters to monitor the airspace.

Although Russia is the trigger for the creation of the ARF, it is not named as an opponent in “Steadfast Dart 2026”. “This exercise is not directed against a specific nation. This is about demonstrating the ability to deploy quickly,” says General Ingo Gerhartz, commander of the NATO Joint Allied Forces Command in Brunssum (Netherlands).

Landing planned in Putlos

This is also a reason why the exercise is not taking place in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea, but in Schleswig-Holstein. A total of 10,000 soldiers from eleven nations are practicing the rapid transfer of troops from the Mediterranean to northern Germany at “Steadfast Dart 2026”. In the long term, NATO wants to have up to 40,000 soldiers as the rapid spearhead of the ARF. This is also a message to the USA, which has so far taken the lead when it comes to strengthening Europe and shouldered the lion’s share. “We want to show that we NATO states in Europe can do this on our own,” says an officer.

“This is the first major maneuver of this kind for the ARF. The aim is to bring strong units into the Baltic Sea within a few days,” Spanish Vice Admiral Juan Pérez announced at the start in Rota. He carries out the maneuver from the landing ship “Castilla”.

In addition to Spain and Italy, Turkey is the third pillar in the maneuver. The amphibious battle group with the “Anadolu” has 1,500 soldiers on board.

In the state capital, the association is now preparing to unload military equipment. On February 18th, tanks are to be landed near Putlos in the Hohwachter Bay using landing craft, as in the case Cold War was rehearsed regularly.

The police are also present

“It is NATO’s largest maneuver this year with a focus on the Baltic Sea region and northern Germany,” says Frigate Captain Frank Martin from the Schleswig-Holstein State Command.

Unlike the Kiel Week, the port phase in Kiel is also about action. The sea battalion secures piers and access routes in the base. Boats patrol the fjord. Drone defense devices are in use. “The police are of course aware of the naval visit and are additionally present around the naval base with patrols,” says Mathias Stöwer, spokesman for the police department.

KN