The U.S. and five other NATO allies have kicked off exercise Dynamic Mongoose off the coast of Iceland on Monday to enhance their anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare skills.
The exercise is designed to improve NATO allies’ interoperability during multiple submarine warfare operations and will feature drills where the submarines alternate “hunting and being hunted” as they communicate with air and surface ship participants.
“Exercises today seize opportunities for NATO and Allied nations to sharpen warfighting skills by focusing on high-end capabilities including Anti-Submarine Warfare,” Vice Adm. Keith Blount, commander of NATO’s Allied Maritime Command, said in a NATO news release.
“DYNAMIC MONGOOSE will ensure we remain prepared for operations in peace, crisis and conflict,” Blount said. “In this regard, I appreciate the outstanding host nation support of the Iceland and those nations that have contributed forces. Dynamic Mongoose will, I am certain, be a highly effective exercise.”
The exercise is slated to run between June 29-July 10 and involves five other NATO allies: Canada, France, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom. Although Iceland is not participating, it is providing logistical support as the host nation.
The guided-missile destroyer Roosevelt and fast-attack submarine Indiana will join four other surface ships from the United Kingdom, Canada and Norway, and four other submarines from the United Kingdom, France, Norway and Germany.
Likewise, two U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft will join another United Kingdom P-8, and a French ATL II maritime patrol aircraft.
“NATO’s annual Anti-Submarine-warfare exercise Dynamic Mongoose remains one of the most challenging exercises and an excellent opportunity for NATO nations’ naval forces to practice and evaluate their anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare skillsets in the challenging environment of the North Atlantic,” Commander of NATO Submarines Rear Adm. E. Andrew Burcher said in a NATO news release.
“This exercise is a unique opportunity to enhance naval forces’ war fighting skills in all dimensions of anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare in a multinational and multi-threat environment,” Burcher said.
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that only submarines from the U.S., United Kingdom, France, Norway and Germany are participating in Dynamic Mongoose.
