The NATO exercise “Dynamic Mongoose” (DYMO 21) to combat submarines began on June 28 in the Norwegian Sea. Seven NATO countries are taking part: the USA, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Sailors and airmen, two submarines, six warships and eight maritime reconnaissance aircraft are taking part in the exercise.
“Dynamic Mangoose” has been taking place every summer since 2012, alternating between the coast of Norway and the North Atlantic south and west of Iceland. This year’s host is Norway. A maritime war scenario is simulated in which an enemy submarine is to be neutralized. The real-life conditions and the changing roles of the participating allies should help to optimize their ability to fight in the three domains – under, on and above the water, explained Commander Bradley Peats, Commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group One, at the start of the exercise. Cooperation between the allied naval forces is also to be further strengthened. This should enable a “timely and effective response to potential threats to maritime security and stability in the region”, said Peats. While the allied naval forces train in the far north, the NATO Research and Technology Center based in the Italian city of La Spezia, more than 2,000 kilometers away, collects data from the operation in real time, evaluates it and provides the participants with continuous feedback. The participants can indeed make good use of aggregated feedback, because: Combating submarines is a complex undertaking, as NATO itself admits. One major challenge is the operational area itself. The often difficult weather conditions in the far north, the depth and temperature of the water, the shape of the seabed – all these characteristics require flexible tactics and have an influence on underwater sound and how the sensors are used, explained Rune Andersen, Commander-in-Chief of the Norwegian Navy, at a press conference in Northwood in the UK. In addition, detecting an enemy submarine, tracking it and, if necessary, fighting it requires close coordination between the air and sea units on and under water. The extent to which the NATO allies have neglected their maritime skills – especially in the area of anti-submarine warfare – since the end of the Cold War can be seen today in the speed at which they are catching up. The Allies exercise twice a year; once in the far north as part of “Dynamic Mangoose”, and once in the Mediterranean during the “Dynamic Manta” exercise, which takes place in February. Both manoeuvres are organized by NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) based in Northwood in the United Kingdom. NATO’s renewed emphasis on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) is due to the ongoing modernization of the Russian submarine fleet. Although the number of Russian submarines has fallen since the end of the Cold War, the remaining ones are much more modern and powerful. They are also much quieter, which significantly impairs the ability to detect them. NATO is also concerned that Russia could penetrate the so-called GIUK gap with its submarines in the event of a conflict and thus reach further into the Atlantic. GIUK (Greenland-Iceland-UK) refers to the area from the north of the United Kingdom via Iceland to the south-east of Iceland. The gap is of geostrategic importance as a communication and transportation route between the USA and Europe to secure the northern flank.
