The NATO-led naval maneuver Dynamic Mariner 22 kicked off from the Turkish Navy’s Aksaz naval base on September 11.
Bringing together 12 allied nations off the coast of Turkey, Dynamic Mariner is a crisis-response exercise held in conjunction with the Turkish Navy’s exercise Mavi Balina.
Led by NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), the Dynamic Mariner aims to test and demonstrate NATO’s Response Force Maritime Component (NRF/M) and interoperability between NATO forces, enhancing flexibility and improving the ability to work together among allied nations.
Running from September 11 to September 22, the exercise will gather 50 surface units, 5 submarines, 5 air assets (including maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters), 1,500 marines, and personnel, from 12 NATO nations. Participants will come from Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain, Turkey, and the United States.
The exercise also involves Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG2), two of NATO’s Standing Naval Forces on active duty that contribute to the Alliance’s collective defence on a permanent basis.
“Dynamic Mariner is an incredibly important large-scale maritime exercise,” said MARCOM Deputy Commander French Navy Vice Admiral Didier Piaton. “This year’s event includes more assets than ever before, facilitating increased interoperability between our nations and enhancing operational readiness. We continue to work closely with Türkiye and other Allies and Partners to deter aggression and defend the Alliance.”
Dynamic Mariner-Mavi Balina will include training in specific skillsets to include surface, air, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), mine countermeasures, amphibious, hybrid, and force protection operations.
NATO’s maritime strength lies in the ability of the standing forces and NATO Response Force (NRF) elements to integrate rapidly with high readiness, high capability national forces and task groups.
The NRF is a multinational force that comprises land, air, maritime and special operations forces (SOF) components that the alliance can deploy quickly, whenever and wherever needed.
Headquartered in Northwood, United Kingdom, NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) is the central command of all NATO maritime forces. MARCOM’s commander is the primary maritime advisor to the Alliance. Like its land and air counterparts (LANDCOM and AIRCOM), MARCOM reports to NATO’s Allied Command Operations (ACO), which is located in Mons, Belgium.
