Berlin (TDI): Germany opened a new NATO naval command center on Monday to enhance defense readiness in the Baltic Sea amid ongoing Russian war in Ukraine.
Named the Commander Task Force Baltic, the center will oversee naval operations during peacetime, crises, and wartime, according to German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.
At the inauguration ceremony in Rostock, Pistorius highlighted the region’s strategic significance.
“The importance of the Baltic Sea region has become increasingly clear in light of the ongoing Russian aggression in our immediate vicinity,” he stated.
The command center will be led by a German admiral and staffed by personnel from 11 other NATO member countries, including Finland and Sweden, which recently joined the alliance.
Its primary mission is to coordinate naval activities in the Baltic Sea and provide NATO with continuous maritime surveillance to ensure situational awareness around the clock.
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Germany’s intelligence community has raised alarms about Russia’s potential to attack NATO by 2030 and has accused Moscow of ramping up espionage and sabotage efforts against Western nations.
Pistorius noted that Russian aggression manifests in various forms, including cyber and hybrid threats, which complicate the distinction between peace and war.
He emphasized the need for NATO to maintain a robust defense strategy.
“We must ensure that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin does not succeed. We must defend ourselves and do everything possible to support our partners on NATO’s eastern flank,” he asserted.
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The newly established center will house 180 personnel from Britain, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden, all working together to strengthen NATO’s maritime defense capabilities in the Baltic region.
