Across stretches of ocean spanning the North Atlantic, Arctic and Baltic Sea, warships and aircraft from the UK, Denmark, Latvia and Sweden have been honing their escort capabilities in a new series of exercises.
Exercise Lion Protector, planned and coordinated by the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), showcases the participating nations' ability to operate across borders and domains, including sea, land, air, cyber, and space.
It comes as allied nations continue to strengthen their readiness to protect critical infrastructure and deter potential threats in one of the most strategically contested regions on earth.
The opening element of the Lion series, Ex Baltic Express, has already concluded and demonstrated the safe escorting of the Danish vessel Ark Germania, which had been carrying heavy military equipment as part of its forward land force deployment to Latvia.
As a roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) cargo and military sealift vessel, she is well-versed in this type of operation and has been routinely deployed for troop and equipment movements across the Baltic Sea.
Commanding Officer of the escorting Danish frigate HDMS Esbern Snare, Commander Senior Grade Ole Frandsen, said: "Through the coordinated and effective military activities in the JEF framework, we can support the timely reinforcement of our allies whenever and wherever required.
"This maritime escort demonstrates not only the strength of the JEF coalition but also our ability to ensure the protection and secure movement of forces through the Baltic region."
Following escalation by Russia and the invasion of Ukraine, the patrolling of JEF warships in the region serves as both a deterrent and reassurance.
What is the Joint Expeditionary Force?
The JEF concept was first conceived in 2012 and formally founded two years later with seven original participant nations – Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK.
The alliance grew to nine in 2017 when Finland and Sweden joined, and to 10 in 2021, with the addition of Iceland.
All JEF participant nations are also Nato members. The alliance is designed to enhance their interoperability, while complementing Nato's plans to deter and defend Europe from security threats.
Major General Tom Bateman is the Commander of the UK Standing Joint Force Headquarters, which is the coordinating authority providing command and control for the Joint Expeditionary Force.
How will the Lion series run?
Throughout the autumn, a series of live, multi-domain activities will be rehearsed to refine a range of what is known as JEF Response Options (JROs), which included Ex Baltic Express.
They will allow the 10 northern European member nations to deploy flexible maritime, air, and ground capabilities quickly during crises of hybrid threats below the threshold of a full-scale war.
RAF Group Captain Eastlake explained: "The strength of the JEF lies in its agility, its interoperability and the trust between its nations.
"Through exercises such as this, we continue to refine the JEF Response Options, so they remain credible against emerging challenges, while complementing Nato's activity across Northern Europe."
The remaining stages will include maritime security operations in the North Atlantic, critical infrastructure protection in Iceland, and the deployment of the JEF Operational Headquarters to the High North on Ex Lion Apex.
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