Marine Corps Operates Wargames in Latvia-Baltic Sea Within Attack Range of Russia

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

A “Special Operations Capable” Marine Corps Expeditionary Unit is training and conducting wargames off the coast of Latvia just a few hundred miles from the Russian border. The 26th MEU (SOC) is on a collaborative mission to connect with Latvian NATO allies in preparation for an upcoming large-scale exercise called Northern Coasts 2023.

The German-led NATO exercise is massive, and will include as many as 14 countries as well as 30 ships and submarines in the Baltic Sea supported by aircraft and as many as 3,200 military personnel, a Navy essay on the MEU explains.

“The Marines and Sailors of the 26th MEU(SOC) Bravo Command are excited to be here in Latvia as well as demonstrate our warfighting proficiency and competency during Northern Coasts 2023,” said Lt. Col. Josef Wiese, executive officer, 26 MEU(SOC), officer in charge of the Marines aboard the USS Mesa Verde. “The Marines and Sailors are looking forward to integrating and building trust with the German Sea Battalion on board as well as showcasing their interoperability and interdependence with our Allies and Partners in the Sixth Fleet area of responsibility.”

523 Miles from Russian Border

While the Marines are in Riga, Latvia to unload equipment for the upcoming exercise, it also seems significant that a highly-capable, multi-domain attack force is operating and training only 500 miles from Moscow Russia, a distance merely a few hundred miles from the Russian border. Given that the MEU (SOC) is supported by AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and transport CH-53 rotary aircraft as well F-35B vertical take-off 5th-generation stealth aircraft, the Marines are quite capable of attacking within Russia should that be necessary. Certainly NATO and the US Marines are not planning to attack Russian forces, as of course the Pentagon has been clear that it does not want US or NATO forces involved directly in Ukraine’s war. However, it might be accurate to suggest that placing and demonstrating new dimensions of multi-domain combat power within clear easy striking range of Russia can be seen as a “deterrence” message. Putin and his Russian regime do not hesitate to make very serious and ominous threats, including even the possible use of nuclear weapons. Therefore, a massive multi-national force of combat power equipped with high-speed amphibious forces, long-range weapons from the sea and 5th-generation aircraft undoubtedly send a message of deterrence to Russia, essentially making it clear that any attempt to challenge NATO of pursue further acts of aggression may be met with rapid, decisive and overwhelming force. Russia is not likely to have air defenses available for some areas North and East of Moscow, as most of their assets are likely committed to the Ukraine war or only defending the capital, so the presence of Tomahawk missiles, F-35s and Marine Corps Special Operations Forces capable of rapid amphibious strike … clearly seems to send a message to Russia.

Marine Corps Expeditionary Unit in Baltic Sea

Marine Corps Expeditionary Units, often between 2,000 and 4,000 Marines, are armed with helicopter-deployable 155mm mobile Howitzer weapons, Javelin and TOW anti-tank missiles as well as several small, organically connected unit-launched drones. They are intended for “rapid attack” or “crisis response,” and often referred to as a small Marine Corps Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF), yet the Corps modern multi-domain networked joint warfare strategy outlined in Force Design 2030 calls for secure, high-speed integration with larger, well-armed stand-off surface ships able to fire precision weaponry and launch heavier, follow-on forces as needed.