NATO Maritime Forces Respond to Russian Activity

In the second half of March, Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 monitored Russian naval activity in the English Channel
along with Allies France and Great Britain.This operation supported maritime situational awareness beginning on the week of 16 March 2020.Besides the SNMG1 flagship,HNoMS Otto Sverdrup, other Group members participating with the Allies were HMDS Absalon;HMS Sutherland; and FGS Rhoen.*
According to CDRE Yugve Skoglund, Commander, SNMG1:
Free access and entry to the Channel is critical to NATO.There has been a substantial non-allied military activity in the area lately.Our job as a NATO Force, together with our Allies,is to deliver NATO'S 'deter and defend'  message and provide maritime security.Our presence in the English Channel in the past few weeks is exactly what the standing maritime forces are made for... We are here to sustain NATO'S essential work even when all nations are facing tough times.*
Also in late March, three of the four US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers forward-deployed to Rota,Spain conducted a drill in the Eastern Atlantic with two USN P8-A Poseidon Maritime Surveillance Aircraft from Commander,Task Force 67,Sigonella, Italy. Said CAPT William "BP" Pennington, commodore of CTF 67:
By keeping our top assets, our Sailors, healthy, our flight operations continue to support the Fleet, demonstrating the tight-knit integration between our surface and air assets, and without a doubt, our unparalleled ability to flawlessly execute coordinated high-end naval warfare.*

Departure for Leopold I frigate of Belgian Navy SNMG1 - 2 August 2019 - Leopold I departed from Belgium to join SNMG1 and participate in Exercise Cutlass Fury 2019

Improving NATO's Atlantic Defence:Cutlass Fury

Exercise Cutlass Fury 2019 is currently underway off the coast of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, Canada.The biennial naval drills, according to the commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1,US Navy RADM Edward Cashman:
Are a testimonial to NATO's commitment to strengthening relationships between members of the Alliance and increase the flexibility and agility of our maritime forces.Participating nations are talking advantage of the multinational event to learn more strategies and procedures which they can utilize to ensure the security of North America and Europe through the Atlantic Ocean,a bridge which connects our nations and our shared interests.*
Cutlass Fury is designed to be a medium scale exercise with the purpose of unifying Canada's Atlantic Fleet, Allied navies and joint elements in tactical level warfare.Nations contributing surface warfare assets to CF 19 include Belgium,Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the UK and the US.Most of the warships are frigates.The US is represented by the Guided Missle Destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101), flagship of SNMG1.
The warfighting drills began on 6 September and conclude on 20 September 2019.

North Sea:Interlocking Drills Test Norwegian Navy and its NATO Allies - Updated 1 March 2018

For the past few weeks,Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 has been participating in the Royal Norwegian Navy Exercise TG 18-1.Some 14 ships and submarines arrived in Bergen,Norway to initiate TG 18-1 in support of training and qualifying the RNN's new submarine commanders.The drills also aim to sharpen warfighting skills under rugged Nordic wintry conditions.
At the same time,TG 18-1 is being integrated with NATO exercise Dynamic Guard,which emphasises air defence and electronic warfare.The electronic warfare component of the challenge links TG 18-1 to Dynamic Guardian and treats the interception,jamming and emission of radar signals for defensive and deceptive applications.Maritime air defence involves naval helicopters and fixed wing patrol aircraft searching for and destroying enemy submarines.The maritime drills are being staged in the North Sea as well as fjords near Bergen.The 14 vessels include SNMG1'S current flagship,Royal Danish Navy frigate HDMS Niels Juel,and Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS St.John's and the French FREMM multi-mission frigate Provence.Besides Norway,Denmark and Canada,other participating Allies include:France,Germany,Poland,the Netherlands and Spain,plus NATO partner Australia.A total of 5,000 Sailors and 14 frigates have been taking part in the sophisticated tests,such as trying to block a submarine from entering a fjord from the North Sea. *
As well as the warships,helicopters and other aircraft are joining the exercises.The complex multinational drills extend into Dynamic Guard,where interoperability is increased at both the unit-to-unit and the task force level.The conditons have been rough,with seas generating waves of 5-6 meters at times.Nonetheless,the tasks are executed to sustain high interoperability and readiness among the Allies-STRONGER TOGETHER.*
The commander of SNMG1 is Commodore Soren Thinggard Larsen,Royal Danish Navy.He ensures that,as a member of the NATO Reaction Force,SNMG1 trains at a high operational level to meet the very high readiness requirements,always with a view to reaching the capability to respond promptly in times of crisis and conflict.

Big NATO Naval Drills Staged in Baltic

Standing NATO Maritime Group One and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One have been staging Exercise Northern Coasts 16 in the Baltic Sea.Led by Germany,it is a large exercise providing relevant training in an undisclosed fictitious yet realistic scenario,NATO said.As many as 38 naval units,including submarines,have traveled from 16 NATO and partner countries and are focusing on both surface and undersea warfare.
Rear Admiral Jose E. Delgado of the Spanish Navy says the naval forces will train as a single Task Group.By training together,NATO and partners strengthen their ability to effectively combine national assets in order to face any possible challenges in a maritime environment.This major exercise will prove NATO Standing Forces' capability to rapidly grow to a bigger multinational Task Group whenever and wherever it could be demanded,RADM Delgado said.The drills have been staged in the Baltic since 2007.*
Flagship for RADM Delgado is the frigate ESPS Mendez Nunez (F-104).Germany,Belgium and Portugal are also contributing frigates to the effort.The US Navy has sent Sailors from Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 8,as well as the P8-A Poseidon surveillance aircraft for undersea warfare drills.EODMU 8 began participating on 2 September,exercising mine countermeasures and counter-IED response capabilities,building interoperability and sharing best practices with the Allies and partners.*
Those participating in Exercise Northern Coasts 16 include Spain,Portugal,Germany,France,Belgium,the Netherlands,Estonia,Latvia,Lithuania,Canada,the US,Denmark,Norway and NATO partners Sweden and Finland.