The Narrow Waters 26-1 exercise, led by the Finnish Navy, began in the Baltic Sea, in particular in areas near the sea border with russia, on May 18, 2026. Units from Germany and the United States are involved in the maneuvers, and the total number of participants is about 3,000 military personnel.
This was reported by the official website of the country's Navy.
The exercises will last until May 29, 2026 and cover the coastal areas of Southern Finland, the Archipelago Sea and the Gulf of Finland - areas bordering the sea approaches to russian territory.
About 100 soldiers of the German Navy's Marine Jaeger Company and approximately 30 Marines of the US Marine Corps are involved in the maneuvers.
Separately, units of the Finnish Border Guard, the Finnish Defense Forces Logistics Command, aviation units and the Utti military regiment are participating.
During the exercises, flights are planned over the southern coast of Finland and the northern part of the Baltic Sea. Part of the maneuvers is dedicated to testing unmanned systems operating in the marine and air environment.
The main composition of the participants is reservists and conscripts, who are involved in assessing the level of training before the end of service. In total, about 3,000 military personnel are participating in the exercises.
The Narrow Waters format has been in use since 2025 after Finland transitioned to more specialized maritime exercises with a focus on interaction with allies and practicing actions in the coastal zones of the Baltic region.
Recall that Ukrainian military personnel took part in NATO's Aurora 26 exercises, during which the alliance forces practiced repelling an attack by an "unnamed country" on Sweden.
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