The Swedish Armed Forces explained that the exercises, codenamed ‘Merlin’, are conducted along the Swedish coast and within the kingdom’s territorial waters. The aim is to share Sweden’s expertise in anti-submarine warfare with its NATO partners. They added that the complex terrain of the Baltic Sea floor provides many places where submarines can hide, requiring special capabilities and techniques developed by the Swedish Navy.
The exercises involve ships from NATO’s Standing Naval Maritime Group One (SNMG1), alongside Swedish and German corvettes, frigates, support ships, submarines, and naval helicopters. These drills are held for the second consecutive year and are scheduled to become a permanent NATO exercise starting in the fall of 2026.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in a previous interview that Sweden and Finland joining NATO is a pointless step regarding their national interests. He warned that Russian forces and weapon systems would be stationed near the Finnish border upon their NATO accession. Moscow has been pointing out the unprecedented military activity of NATO near its western borders for years, asserting that it does not threaten anyone but will not ignore any moves that may affect its security interests.
