Germany on Monday inaugurated a new Nato naval command centre to boost defence readiness in the Baltic Sea region as Russia pursues its invasion of Ukraine.
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Led by Germany, the Commander Task Force Baltic will be “ready to direct naval operations in times of peace, crisis and war”, said Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.
“The relevance of the region has become even more evident against the backdrop of the ongoing Russian aggression in our immediate neighbourhood,” Pistorius told a ceremony for the new hub.
The centre in the port city of Rostock will be led by a German admiral and manned by staff from 11 other Nato countries.
It will aim to “coordinate naval activities in the region” and provide Nato with a “maritime situation picture in the Baltic Sea region around the clock”, according to the German defence forces.
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The participants include Finland and Sweden, which joined Nato after Russia’s February 2022 invasion.