US NATO forces to the Baltic Sea

Around 50 US marines are being deployed to the Baltic Sea to assist Finland in monitoring and protecting, amongst other things, undersea cables.

The marines, from the Marine Corps base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, are to support the NATO operation Baltic Sentry, which was set up to counter the Russian shadow fleet.

“Working side by side with our Finnish allies strengthens our collective readiness and ensures that we can operate seamlessly as a cohesive and effective force to deter hybrid threats in the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea region,” says Major General Daniel Shipley, commander of US Marine Corps forces in Europe and Africa, in a press release.

^{Cover image: A US Marine launches a drone during a press event in Kyrkslätt, Finland, in March last year. Archive image. Photo: Markku Ulander/Lehtikuva/AP/TT}