United States Marine Corps and Finnish Navy work together in Baltic Sentry

Navy
Publication date 1.10.2026 15.00
Type:Press release
The United States Marine Corps participated in Baltic Sentry for the first time in February 2025.

The U.S. Marine Corps will again be working together with the Finnish Navy from October to November.

A U.S. Marine Corps unit will operate in the area of the Finnish Archipelago Sea, executing tasks related to NATO’s enhanced Vigilance Activity Baltic Sentry. It will be using, for example, unmanned surface and aerial vehicles while in the Baltic Sea region.

The unit will arrive in Finland in early October and it will be supported by Finnish naval bases and areas in Southwest Finland and in the Archipelago Sea.

Baltic Sentry is one of NATO’s enhanced Vigilance Activities, started in January 2025.  It is a central part of the Alliance’s collective defence, and its goal is to protect the critical infrastructure of the Baltic Sea. The United States Marine Corps participated in Baltic Sentry for the first time in February 2025.

“NATO’s Baltic Sentry continues and the Alliance is committed to protecting the infrastructure of the Baltic Sea. The experience, skills and systems of the U.S. Marine Corps are perfectly suited for supplementing our situation picture and supporting our monitoring of the Baltic Sea”, says the Chief of Operations of the Finnish Navy, Captain (N) Johan Tillander.

Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa, Maj. Gen. Daniel Shipley said the operational design is a premier example of European allies spearheading regional maritime security while the U.S. projects highly specialized, agile force multipliers.

“Our participation in Baltic Sentry demonstrates the dynamic agility of the Marine Corps to rapidly project specialized capabilities where they are most effective,” said Shipley. “Working side-by-side with our Finnish allies strengthens our collective readiness, ensuring we can operate seamlessly as a cohesive, lethal team to deter hybrid threats in the Baltic littoral.”

Later in November, units from the United States Marine Corps will also participate in the Finnish Navy’s main autumn exercise, Exercise Narrow Waters.