A specialized team of Marines deployed to Europe will be redirected to the Baltic Sea region to support the NATO-led enhanced vigilance activity Baltic Sentry.
Approximately four dozen Marines assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, will operate alongside Finland's Coastal Brigade to provide advanced expeditionary surveillance and tactical reconnaissance capabilities. The activity is designed to enhance maritime domain awareness to protect critical undersea infrastructure and support overall security in the region.
Baltic Sentry represents a highly integrated collective defense effort. European allies lead the effort under Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum and Allied Maritime Command, with the U.S. Marine Corps serving in a supportive, enabling capacity.
Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Daniel Shipley, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa commander, 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," he said. "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."
The rotation will leverage the unique capabilities of reconnaissance Marines, including small unmanned aerial systems and littoral sensors, to feed vital data directly into the shared NATO common operational picture.
"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," said Finnish Navy Capt. Johan Tillander, Finland Navy Command chief of operations.
Maintaining stability along Europe's critical maritime choke points protects the physical and economic security of the transatlantic community. As a defensive vigilance activity, Baltic Sentry underscores the alliance's immediate readiness, technological adaptability, and collective resolve to deter and decisively defeat any threat to regional stability.
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