BALTOPS BALTOPS ( Baltic Operations ) is an annual military exercise , held and sponsored by the Commander , United States Naval Forces Europe , since 1971 , in the Baltic Sea and the regions surrounding it . The purpose of BALTOPS is to train gun nery , replenishment at sea , anti - submarine warfare ( ASW ) , radar tracking & interception , mine countermeasures , seamanship , search and rescue , maritime interdiction operations and scenarios dealing with potential real world crises and maritime security . BALTOPS in the 1980s and 1990s . In 1985 , Commander , Destroyer Squadron 14 , was tasked with exercising freedom of navigation in the Baltic and U . S . support for Northern European NATO countries . The mission of BALTOPS ' 85 was little different than the first BALTOPS , to show - the - flag exercise to maintain the U . S . right to sail in international waters , even those in the Soviet Union ' s backyard , 15 years before and increase U . S . Navy tactical proficiency in a strategically vital and challenging sea and air environment . To do this , Commander Destroyer Squadron 14 was assigned a Surface Action Group of six ships : USS Ticonderoga ( CG - 47 ) , USS Iowa ( BB - 61 ) , USS Aylwin ( FF - 1081 ) , USS Halyburton ( FFG - 40 ) , USS Pharris ( FF - 1094 ) , and USS Merrimack ( AO - 179 ) . In late June 1990 , Rear Admiral Thomas D . Paulson , Commander Cruiser - Destroyer Group Two , led and to visit Poland in conjunction with BALTOPS ' 90 . Their port call at Gdynia represented the first visit by United States Navy vessels to Poland since 1927 . Since 1993 it has been a major contributor to the NATO programme Partnership for Peace , which aims to strengthen and create trust amongst former Soviet Union states and NATO . Ten states which were members ( Bulgaria , Czech Republic , Estonia , Hungary , Latvia , Lithuania , Poland , Romania , Slovakia and Slovenia ) have since joined NATO . Common participants are ( but not limited to ) : Canada , Denmark , Estonia , Finland , France , Germany , Latvia , Lithuania , Netherlands , Poland , Russia , Sweden , United Kingdom , United States of America ( commanding country ) The 26th annual maritime exercise Baltic Operations ( BALTOPS ) ' 98 in the Western Baltic Sea took place from June 8 – June 19 , 1998 . During the exercise , the commander , Carrier Group Eight , commanded the exercise from USS " Vella Gulf " . BALTOPS 2008 ( 36th ) . BALTOPS 2008 took placed between 8 June to 18 June 2008 . Its objective was to promote mutual understanding , confidence , cooperation , and interoperability among the forces and personnel of the participating nations , as well as support national unit and staff training through a series of exercises . BALTOPS 2008 included surface warships , submarines , aircraft , and ground forces from Denmark , Estonia , Finland , France , Germany , Latvia , Lithuania , Norway , Poland , Russia , Sweden , the United Kingdom , and the United States . Rear Admiral Daniel P . Holloway supervised BALTOPS 2008 , and the guided - missile cruiser served as his flagship during this exercise . " Gettysburg " was accompanied by the guided - missile destroyer and the fleet oiler as part of the U . S . Navy ' s Task Group 369 . 4 . Following BALTOPS 2008 , the " Cole " paid a port visit to Stockholm , Sweden , on 27 June 2008 , and " Gettysburg " paid a post - exercise port visit to Kiel , Germany . " Gettysburg " returned to Naval Station Mayport , Florida , on 14 July 2008 , completing this two - month - long 2008 surge deployment for Carrier Strike Group Twelve . BALTOPS 2009 ( 37th ) . On 16 June 2009 , USNI bloggers took part in a DOD Bloggers Roundtable with Rear Admiral John Christenson , USN , Commander of Carrier Strike Group 12 , the Enterprise carrier strike group . The topic of the call was BALTOPS 2009 . According to DODLive , “ BALTOPS 09 is a joint operation that allows personnel from partner nations to prepare for disaster relief efforts , humanitarian assistance , and peacekeeping efforts . ” Moreover , according to DODLive , “ this is the 37th anniversary of Exercise BALTOPS and includes Denmark , Estonia , Finland , France , Germany , Latvia , Lithuania , Netherlands , Poland , Sweden , the United Kingdom , and the United States . ” BALTOPS 2011 ( 39th ) . BALTOPS 2011 occurs from 3 – 17 June 2011 among NATO and Partnership for Peace participants . Led by the United States , BALTOPS is a USEUCOM directed , COMUSNAVEUR sponsored , and United States Sixth Fleet executed exercise . The primary planning and execution commander is Commander Carrier Strike Group Eight . The mission of BALTOPS 2011 is interoperability among forces and personnel of participating national unit and staff training objectives through a series of robust training exercises . BALTOPS 2011 participating countries include Belgium , Denmark , Estonia , France , Georgia , Germany , Latvia , Lithuania , The Netherlands , Poland , Russia , Sweden , and the United States .