NATO Allied Maritime Command has kicked off a nearly two-week anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare exercise in Norway, with participants from 10 member countries.
Exercise Dynamic Mongoose 24 trains submarine crews to respond to threats from below the sea surface and helps surface vessels and air assets improve their detection of submarines and address undersea threats.
The event is being held in the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom-Norway Gap, where participants experience cold environmental conditions, causing additional challenges to crews during the exercise.
Countries participating in the event include the United States, Denmark and new NATO member Sweden, which joined the exercise for the first time.
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Thomas Wall, NATO submarine commander, said Sweden’s advanced, silent Gotland-class submarines will be incorporated into the ongoing exercise. According to the commander, adding the Swedish Navy to the allied maritime force composition will boost NATO’s collective defense in the region, citing the experience of a Swedish submarine crew in shallow water operations.
“As NATO’s maritime force we leverage exercises like Dynamic Mongoose to hone our team’s proficiency in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, safeguarding the alliance against multi-domain threats,” he added.
“The crew of every single submarine, ship and aircraft participating in this exercise bring a unique perspective and valuable capability to the table.”
Exercise Dynamic Mongoose will conclude on May 10.