Germany plans to inaugurate a new naval tactical headquarters in the Baltic Sea, aimed at strengthening NATO's defense readiness in the region, the Ministry of Defense of the Federal Republic announced today, quoted by DPA and BTA.
The ministry announced that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will officially open the military facility in the Baltic port city of Rostock next Monday. Germany has the largest fleet in the Baltic Sea among NATO member states.
According to the ministry, the new Baltic Task Force command headquarters will coordinate naval activities for all NATO allies located near the Baltic Sea and monitor the situation in its waters. The Baltic Sea is an important logistics route for NATO and is of key economic importance for neighboring allied countries.
NATO has also warned of systematic infrastructure espionage and other potential threats in the region emanating from Russia, which has ports on the Baltic Sea near St Petersburg and in the Kaliningrad region. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 heightened fears of possible Russian aggression.
In 2017, NATO decided to adapt its command structure and establish a permanent naval headquarters at the highest tactical level. The headquarters plans operations and military exercises and commands naval forces both in peacetime and in crises and war.
According to the ministry, the command of the task force in Rostock will be headed by a German admiral, while the deputy commander will initially be a Polish admiral, and the chief of staff – Swedish staff officer.