Naval Commanders from the Baltic Sea region met in Turku

The Baltic Commanders Conference brought together the Commanders of Naval Forces of the Baltic Sea region, as well as Commanders of the NATO's Maritime Command and of the CTF Baltic in Turku 10 – 12 of March 2026.

The aim of the conference was to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between maritime actors in the region, taking into account the current security situation in the Baltic Sea. The main focus in the conference, hosted by Rear Admiral Tuomas Tiilikainen, Commander of the Finnish Navy, was on developing interoperability and joint operational capabilities in the Baltic Sea region.

- This event was very necessary and timely. There was a clear desire to develop cooperation and situational awareness in order to combat multidisciplinary maritime threats. The material projects of different countries are fundamentally similar, which was again noteworthy. This was a throroughly successful event, said Rear Admiral Tuomas Tiilikainen.

In addition to Finland, the conference was attended by naval commanders from Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and Poland. Commander of the NATO Maritime Command, vice-admiral Robert Pedre and Commander of the CTF Baltic, Rear Admiral Stephan Haisch, also took part in the discussions.

The Baltic Commanders Conference is an annual meeting of naval commanders in the Baltic Sea region, initiated by the German Navy in 2015 and held alternately in different countries in the region.

The conference was also attended by senior non-commissioned officers from the Baltic Sea region.