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Sep 12 2024

Allies and Partners Hone Mine Countermeasures Capabilities during Dynamic Move 24

La Spezia, Italy – Participants from 16 nations, including NATO members and Partner Nations completed Exercise Dynamic Move 2024 September 13, 2024. This exercise is a vital platform for practicing naval mine countermeasures and fostering international cooperation in maritime security.

Countries participating in this edition of the exercise included Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Türkiye, and the United States of America, alongside partner nations Georgia, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, and Ukraine.

This iteration of Dynamic Move focused on strengthening the capabilities of participating nations in naval mine warfare and enhancing interoperability among Allied and Partner forces. The MARCOM exercise, hosted by Italy at Italian Mine Warfare Training Center (MARICENDRAG) represented by its new Director – Commander Claudio Cuomo.

Forces were organized into one Task Force, led by Belgian Capt. John Saussez, one Task Group, commanded by Capt. Sebastian Barote (ROU N), who is also the Commander of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2), and three Task Units led by officers from Belgium, Greece and Poland. Together, these teams coordinated naval mine countermeasures operations across various maritime environments in a simulated confrontation in the Naval Mine Warfare Gaming System (NMWGS).

This exercise plays an important role in ensuring the readiness of NATO MCM capabilities

Speaking about the importance of the exercise and about the interactions between the participants, Captain Barote emphasized, "This exercise plays an important role in ensuring the readiness of NATO MCM capabilities. We have the opportunity to train together, practice our common procedures, exchange ideas and share our own experiences and learn from each other. DYME allows us to increase the interoperability between our forces and demonstrate Alliance unity and cohesion, and our commitment to our common values."

From left to right: to get familiarized with the new simulation capabilities of the Italian Mine Warfare Training Center, an Iraqi officer testing the ROV simulator’s AR googles. Divers from Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) and the Italian Navy, deploying a drifting mine during the practical phase of the exercise, in the vicinity of the Italian Mine Warfare Training Center (MARICENDRAG).

The exercise featured expert contributions from the Naval Mine Warfare Center of Excellence and Belgian Navy Academy, U.S. Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center, Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), with presentations on Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) and Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI) among many others.

The exercise also included a comprehensive planning phase, where participants discussed several critical areas of maritime warfare, including Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS), the Allied Worldwide Navigation Information System (AWNIS), Air Mine Countermeasures (MCM), and Amphibious Operations, Public Affairs, Law of the Sea, and the latest threats posed to Unmanned Underwater Vehicles.

Another component of Dynamic Move 2024 - II was the Computer Assisted Exercise (CAX). This phase allowed participants to simulate and practice Naval Mine Countermeasures in a controlled, virtual environment. The CAX provided a realistic, yet safe setting for training over various tactical scenarios, enabling forces to advance their response strategies to the threats. Using advanced computer simulations, the exercise replicated complex maritime environments and mine warfare threats that could be encountered in real operations. This allowed participants to develop and test responses to unpredictable minefield conditions, ensuring they can effectively manage demanding situations.

The CAX phase provided commanders and participants with the opportunity to practice real-time decision-making and leadership in a virtual game. They could analyze evolving situations, coordinate responses, and test the effectiveness of different tactics, all while getting feedback from the outcome of each simulated event. This phase not only improved participants technical and tactical skills but also showcased the value of simulated training environments in enhancing real-world readiness and effectiveness in mine warfare domain.
It is important for NATO to show our capability to do Naval Mine Countermeasures in any environment and especially to cooperate with other nations. We are here to improve the procedures. Mine countermeasures are relevant today to our freedom of navigation and so that we can safeguard the movement of merchant shipping for our communities
Captain Saussez added, "It is important for NATO to show our capability to do Naval Mine Countermeasures in any environment and especially to cooperate with other nations. We are here to improve the procedures. Mine countermeasures are relevant today to our freedom of navigation and so that we can safeguard the movement of merchant shipping for our communities."
Dynamic Move is one of a number of exercises hosted by NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM). MARCOM is the central command of all NATO maritime forces and the MARCOM Commander is the primary maritime advisor to the Alliance.

Story by Public Affairs Office at MARCOM

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