The bilateral exercise Archipelago Endeavor (AE25) began this week in the Stockholm archipelago (Sweden), reports the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten). The exercise is being held for the seventh consecutive year and involves around 500 participants from Swedish amphibious units and the United States Marine Corps.
The aim is to develop joint capabilities in amphibious combat in archipelago environments. On the Swedish side, participants include the 2nd Amphibious Battalion and the 2nd Naval Base Battalion, while the United States is contributing units from the Marine Rotational Force - Europe.
"The exercise strengthens both our bilateral cooperation with the United States and NATO's (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) ability to carry out tasks in archipelago environments and the Baltic Sea region," says Head of the Navy Johan Norlén, according to the Swedish Armed Forces.
AE25 runs from late August to mid-September in the areas around Berga, Utö, Korsö and Yttra Hamnskär (Stockholm archipelago, Sweden).