Led by Germany, the Commander Task Force Baltic will be "ready to direct naval operations in times of peace, crisis and war", said Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.

"The relevance of the region has become even more evident against the backdrop of the ongoing Russian aggression in our immediate neighbourhood," Pistorius told a ceremony for the new hub.

The centre in the port city of Rostock will be led by a German admiral and manned by staff from 11 other NATO countries.

It will aim to "coordinate naval activities in the region" and provide NATO with a "maritime situation picture in the Baltic Sea region around the clock", according to the German defence forces.

The participants include Finland and Sweden, which joined NATO after Russia's February 2022 invasion.

Germany's intelligence chief last week predicted Moscow will likely be capable of launching an attack on NATO by 2030.

Berlin has also accused Moscow of ramping up spying and sabotage activities against Western nations.

"In Germany and Europe, we witness that Russian aggression manifests in various ways, such as cyber and hybrid threats which continue to blur the lines between peace and war," Pistorius said.

"This is why we must ensure that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will not have his way. We must defend ourselves and do whatever we can to support our partners at NATO's eastern flank," he said.

The centre will have 180 staff including representatives of Britain, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.