On NATOs eastern flank, ground troops and F-35 fighter jets are already active. Thanks to Baltic Sentry, Defence is now providing NATO support from the sea. This mission follows recent sabotage in the Baltic Sea, where cables were damaged. Finland and Estonia are leading the investigations, and Defence is ready to assist.
Luymes and Tromp
HNLMS Luymes and HNLMS Tromp are supporting Baltic Sentry from their NATO deployments. The hydrographic survey vessel Luymes is currently the flagship of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1, while Tromp serves in the same capacity for the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1. HNLMS Schiedam will also join next week. The ships will remain active for Baltic Sentry at least until the end of February.
Vice Admiral René Tas, Commander of the Naval Forces: “With this contribution, we demonstrate our determination to increase our efforts. We make our presence known and protect our underwater infrastructure. This is essential for the alliance to prevent destabilizing activities.”
Largest Deployment in Decades
The Dutch military presence on the eastern flank has not been this significant in decades. Four F-35s have been operating from Estonia for some time to keep Russian aircraft out of NATO territory.
Additionally, ground troops have been in the area as part of the enhanced Forward Presence in Lithuania. The Netherlands has been contributing around 270 soldiers to this battlegroup since 2017.