The Finnish Navy said it would be joining the European exercise Emerald Move 16 which is set to take place in Italy in September and October.
The main objective of the exercise is to showcase the participating countries’ ability to command and maintain augmented amphibious brigade-level units and develop the interoperability of participating units and staffs during a crisis management operation in a multinational setting.
Emerald Move is organized by the European Amphibious Initiative (EAI) while the Italian Navy is in command of the exercise which is scheduled to be held between September 26 and October 15, 2016.
European Amphibious Initiative (EAI) was formed by five EU nations, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, in 2000. The aim of this organization is to strengthen the interoperability of European forces and optimize and improve European amphibious operations capabilities through training and exercises.
EAI’s supporting countries are Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Portugal, Sweden and Turkey. Although there are a number of criteria for joining the Initiative, participating nations have agreed that compatibility with the US Navy and the US Marine Corps continues to be a fundamental requirement.
Exercise staffs for Emerald Move 2016 will be established in Brindisi in Italy, starting on September 26. The operative phases of the exercise will be held in waters off Sardinia, Italy, from October 3 – 15.
Apart from EAI member nations units, NATO’s standing mine countermeasures group two (SNMCMG2) is also scheduled to participate in the exercise which was last time conducted by the EU in November 2010 on West Africa’s Atlantic coast, near Dakar, Senegal.