The mission of the Danish warship HDMS Peter Willemoes with a crew of 160
was described as monitoring and deterring Russian activity in the Baltic
Sea. Military experts call the Baltic Sea "Denmark's own backyard".
The frigate HDMS Peter Willemoes will join NATO's fleet in the Baltic Sea as
part of the country's contribution to the alliance.
The frigate will be equipped with four F-16 aircraft and 70 troops to
support NATO preparedness missions in the Baltic Sea region.
"This step was decided after NATO specifically demanded increased
contributions," said Defense Minister (Menhan) Denmar Trine Bramsen,
reported by Sputnik on Wednesday (19/1/2022).
The mission will have a particular focus on the Baltic states. According to
the Danish Navy, the duties for the frigate will mainly consist of
demonstrating its presence, closeness and solidarity with the rest of the
NATO alliance.
"However, since the deployment takes place amid tensions between Russia and
the West, the ship will observe Russian activity in the Baltic Sea and
prevent Russia from escalating the conflict with Ukraine," military expert
Anders Puck Nielsen told Radio Denmark.
According to Anders Puck Nielsen who is a naval captain and military analyst
at the Defense Academy, NATO's increasing naval presence in the Baltic Sea
must be viewed in two ways.
"First, the idea is to send some clear signals to Russia and the Baltic
states that we stand together in NATO, and that this whole situation is
actually just moving us closer together," he said.
"Secondly, there are very specific military tasks, surveillance, possible
deterrence and the ability to maintain a presence if the Russians suddenly
increase their military presence in the Baltic Sea," Nielsen told Danish
Radio.
While stressing that such "live operations" to date have only occurred in
distant waters, Nielsen claims Peter Willemoes' HDMS mission is
non-aggressive and Denmark is sailing in its own backyard.
Captain Henrik Kim Schjoldager who commanded the frigate acknowledged the
underlying "political tensions" but described the mission as a "business as
usual" mission. “The Willemoes, as a task force unit, are ready to tackle
tasks across the spectrum of conflict,” Schjoldager told Radio Denmark.
He later also added, “It can address efforts at the high end of the conflict
spectrum, which is conventional naval warfare, but also to the lower end
with sea rescue and assistance for other maritime traffic.”
The deployment of the Danish frigate as part of a NATO mission comes after
rising tensions between Russia and the alliance following the Ukraine crisis
in 2014, when Western-backed forces toppled the elected government in Kiev.
The coup prompted Crimea to secede and rejoin Russia after the referendum.
This situation has also sparked civil conflict in eastern Ukraine.
