The 11-day NATO exercise Dynamic Mariner/Flotex-19 concluded on October 18 off the coast of Spain.
The exercise brought together 32 surface ships, 2 submarines and 18 air assets, including Maritime Patrol Aircrafts and helicopters.
Maneuvers ranged from mine countermeasures, anti-submarine, surface and anti-air warfare, and air operations to amphibious and force protection operations.
Assets and personnel come from Albania, Bulgaria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States.
Dynamic Mariner/Flotex-19 tested NATO’s Response Force Maritime Component (NRF/M) and interoperability with NATO forces, enhancing flexibility and interoperability amongst Allied nations.
“I would like to congratulate SPMARFOR, the NATO Response Force that will be led by Spain in 2020, for doing a tremendous job hosting and leading Dynamic Mariner. This was a complex and layered exercise that provided tremendous training value to participants at all levels, from the Task Force and Task Group levels to individual ships and division members,” said Commodore Josée Kurtz, Commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two.
The NATO Response Force (NRF) is a highly ready and technologically advanced, multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and Special Operations Forces (SOF) components that the Alliance can deploy quickly, wherever needed.