The Baltic as a ‘battlespace’: When diplomacy and Special Operations Forces work together

This opinion piece analyzes the ORKAN 26 exercise, organized by Poland during its presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS). The exercise involved ten CBSS member states, the EU, EMSA, and NATO in a five-hour tabletop simulation of hybrid threats, including Russia's shadow fleet and attacks on critical Baltic Sea infrastructure. A key innovation was a fully automated scenario delivery system that provided asymmetric information to each delegation. The exercise culminated in a dynamic demonstration by Polish Special Operations Forces (FORMOZA, GROM units) in Gdynia, involving a simulated ferry boarding operation with helicopters, fast boats, F-16s, and naval support. The author argues that the Baltic Sea, while often called a 'NATO inland sea,' still has gaps in legislation and information sharing that exercises like ORKAN 26 aim to identify and close.