NATO’s annual anti-submarine warfare exercise, Dynamic Manta, kicked off on Monday (21 February 2022) off the coast of Sicily. Ships, submarines, as well as aircraft and personnel from nine Allied nations converged in the central Mediterranean Sea for anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare training.
Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States are participating in the exercise.
Led by NATO’s Maritime Command, Dynamic Manta aims to test Allied personnel on how to combat submarines from the air, surface and underwater. The submarines will take turns hunting and being hunted, closely coordinating their efforts with the air and surface participants.
“NATO’s maritime power lies in the ability of the Standing Forces to rapidly join with high readiness, high capacity national forces to deliver effects when and where needed,” said Rear Admiral Stephen Mack, the Commander for Allied submarines assigned to NATO. “Exercises like this, along with regular training between Allied navy units and our multinational Standing Naval Forces, is a force multiplier that provides a collectively trained and interoperable force, ready to work together as the maritime portion of the VJTF [Very High Joint Readiness Task Force].”