HARSTAD, Norway (June 26, 2018) - NATO Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercise Dynamic Mongoose 2018 began off the coast of Norway today, with ships, submarines, aircraft and personnel from 8 Allied nations gathered in the North Atlantic Ocean. Host nation Norway is providing support from the Harstad and Narvik Harbors as well as Andoya Air Base.

Submarines from Norway under operational control of NATO Submarine Command (COMSUBNATO), will join 7 surface ships from Denmark, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Turkey under the command of Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) Commodore Søren Thinggaard LARSEN. To support the simulated multi-threat environment, Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA's) from Germany, Norway, and the United States will operate from Andoya Air Base under operational command of NATO Maritime Air Command (COMMARAIR).

"NATO’s annual anti-submarine-warfare exercise DYNAMIC MONGOOSE remains one of the most challenging exercises and an excellent opportunity for NATO nations’ naval forces to practice and evaluate their Anti-Submarine skillset in a challenging environment.” said Rear Admiral Andrew Lennon, NATO Submarines Commander. "This exercise is a unique opportunity to enhance naval forces’ warfighting skills in all three dimensions of Anti-Submarine-Warfare in a multinational and multi-threat environment. We are most grateful to Norway and the Norwegian Navy for offering to host our exercise”.

The exercise is aimed to provide all participants with complex and challenging warfare training. To better enhance their interoperability and proficiency in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare skills, each surface ship will have the opportunity to devise and execute a variety of tactics to locate and track submarines. To further enhance the training benefit of the exercise, fixed-wing and rotary air assets will practice their sub-hunting techniques in close coordination with the surface units.

"I look forward to SNMG1 taking part in exercise Dynamic Mongoose, to further enhance our ability to conduct advanced Anti-Submarine Warfare in a realistic and challenging environment in the High North off the coast of Norway," said Commander SNMG1, Commodore Søren Thinggaard Larsen. "SNMG1 just completed Exercise BALTOPS in the Baltic Sea and we are currently at very high readiness. We are looking forward to this great opportunity to continue to train, experiment, and share best practice and lessons learned among all participating units. We are stronger together."