Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit participate in a simulated multinational amphibious assault on a Polish air force base at Ustka, Poland, as part of Baltic Operations 24, June 16, 2024. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

USTKA, Poland — Russian bomber flyovers made the preparations for a Marine amphibious landing off the Polish coast a little more interesting, but no less effective.

The four-nation beach assault over the weekend was part of Baltic Operations, an annual exercise that showcased the capabilities of 20 allied countries, as well as Moscow’s irritation with NATO’s growing strength.

On Saturday, two Russian Su-24 bombers flew over the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York and the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp between 10:20 a.m. and 10:40 a.m., while they were operating in the Baltic Sea, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa said in a statement to Stars and Stripes on Tuesday.

One of the planes flew over Wasp at about 500 feet, causing the ship to suspend the takeoff of an MV-22 Osprey, said Capt. Clayton Doss, a spokesman for NAVEUR-AF.

On June 10, three Russian Su-24s made seven passes over the command-and-control ship USS Mount Whitney, said Doss, who characterized most of the interactions as safe and professional.

The flyover involving Wasp was determined to be safe but unprofessional by U.S. Navy officials because the ship was conducting flight operations.

Sailors aboard Wasp took the flyovers in stride. Russia wanted to let them know they were around, but they weren’t going to do anything to stop them, the sailors told Stars and Stripes during the exercise.

Russia’s interest wasn’t limited to American forces. On Tuesday, the Spanish landing helicopter dock ship Juan Carlos I spotted Russian activity nearby while operating off the coast of Poland. The ship shut down its Wi-Fi, among other security precautions.

Russian observance by air, surface or submarine was frequent in the Baltic, sailors aboard Juan Carlos said.

A landing craft from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit reaches the beach at a Polish air force base at Ustka, Poland, as part of Baltic Operations 24, June 16, 2024. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

Tensions in the region have grown since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 spurred Finland and Sweden to join NATO, leaving Russia as the only non-NATO country among the nine that border the Baltic Sea. Finland and Sweden joined BALTOPS this year for the first time as alliance members.

The city of Kaliningrad is the only Russian port that remains ice-free all year and is home to Russia’s Baltic Fleet. Ustka is about 198 miles from Kaliningrad.

This year’s BALTOPS includes more than 9,000 personnel, 50 ships and 85 aircraft. The exercise, led by NAVEUR-AF/U.S. 6th Fleet and commanded by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, ends Thursday.

U.S., Polish, Spanish and Romanian forces successfully conducted a simultaneous amphibious assault Saturday and Sunday that included seizing and controlling a beach, and land and air insertions within a Polish air force training base, Navy officials said.

The two-day segment included about 350 U.S. Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked on Wasp and New York. The Marines played assault team and opposition forces roles.

The exercise, which called for a coordinated, simultaneous assault by about 600 allied forces, was a challenge to plan and execute across multiple languages, said Maj. Brian Hubert, executive officer of Battalion Landing Team 1/8.

Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit walk to a waiting V-22 Osprey as part of a simulated multinational amphibious assault on a Polish air force base at Ustka, Poland, during Baltic Operations 24, June 16, 2024. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

“The idea was that you have all these different nationalities and ships out at sea … and then all of a sudden they are sending forces ashore at the same time,” Hubert said. “… You can’t react sequentially, it’s a simultaneous landing surface on the beach but also air-inserting the forces.”

The successful operation boosted confidence and showed that “we can execute, and we can get it done in a place we’ve never been before,” Hubert said.

It also offered an opportunity for forces to learn the hard lessons about things that broke down during planning or execution of the operation, said Maj. Jackson Thornton, a reservist Marine and advisor with the Marine Corps Advisor Company based in Washington D.C. Thornton was at the exercise to advise Romanian forces.

Marines also benefited from learning about the tactics and operating procedures of other countries.

“There is very little … that you will do in the modern world without an ally or partner to your left and to your right or behind you, or assisting you or supporting you in some way,” Thornton said.

Romanian forces from the 307th Naval Infantry Regiment participate in a simulated multinational amphibious assault on a Polish air force base at Ustka, Poland, as part of Baltic Operations 24. About 35 Romanian troops integrated with Spanish forces during the event on June 16, 2024. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)