Something to pay attention to (pt 1) . . .

NATO holds largest naval exercise in Baltic Sea

2007-05-13 10:39:08


STOCKHOLM, May 12 (Xinhua) — NATO's largest naval exercise in the Baltic Sea was kicked off Saturday in waters off Sweden's southern port city of Gothenburg.

The exercise, involving some 10,000 troops and 80 warships from 17 countries including the United States, Britain and France, will last until May 24.

The maneuver is aimed at improving NATO troops' ability to handle crises in inshore waters and to reach the scene quickly when terrorist attacks happen.

NATO holds similar military exercises annually.

As a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program, Sweden this year sent 700 troops, two frigates, two minesweepers, and one submarine to the war games.

Also on Saturday, more than 3,000 Gothenburg citizens demonstrated against the NATO exercises. The protesters said they were loath to see their city being associated with what they called an "aggressive" military alliance like NATO.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-05/13/content_6091733.htm


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Tuesday 8 May 2007 11:02
Allied Maritime Component Command Headquarters Northwood (National)

NATO and Partner Nations exercise forces for NATO Response Force


NATO Forces will be taking part in three closely linked exercises from 14 to 24 May 2007, centred in the Baltic region, to prepare and certify the next rotation of the NATO Response Force (NRF). Exercises Noble Mariner, Noble Award and Kindred Sword will train maritime, air and land component commands respectively. Although fully joined at the level of operational play and in the overall exercise direction and control, they will be executed separately from each other, but simultaneously in the North Sea, Kattegat, Danish Straits and in the southern Baltic Sea including adjacent Danish, German, Swedish and Polish waters, airspace and land.

Exercise Noble Mariner conducted by Allied Maritime Component Command Northwood, GBR, will test the maritime units aiming to improve and refine the interoperability and integration of the tactical maritime force with the rest of the force. This will robustly put the amphibious and expeditionary capabilities of the NRF through its paces. Exercise Noble Award run by the Allied Air Component Command in Izmir, Turkey, will test NATO's air assets, theatre missile defence and ground-based air defence assets to explore future capability requirements and improve doctrine for the NRF, whilst improving the interoperability of assigned international forces. Exercise Kindred Sword, conducted by Headquarters First German Netherlands Corps in Munster, Germany, will train its staff with an emphasis on interoperability with maritime and air components.

Forces from 17 NATO nations: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America will train together with 2 partner nations: Finland and Sweden. Over 80 maritime units including aircraft carriers, amphibious and assault ships, destroyers, frigates and mine counter measures vessels, plus a total of 73 aircraft, ranging from fighters and attack aircraft to tanker aircraft, and a brigade of ground forces will participate.

The maritime NRF will be commanded by Commander UK Maritime Forces, Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti Royal Navy with his staff embarked in HMS Ark Royal and the maritime situational forces will be headed by Commander Norwegian Task Group, Commodore Haakon Tronstad Norwegian Navy embarked in K/V Andenes. Lieutenant General Tony van Diepenbrugge Netherlands Army will command the land NRF, initially embarked on the HMNLS De Ruyter and later in a fully deployed HQ at the training area Lehnin near Berlin. The NRF air component units will be commanded by Lieutenant General Maurice L. Mcfann, USA Air Force, from his post in Izmir.

The overall coordination for the three exercises will be conducted by Deputy Commander of the Allied Maritime Component Command Northwood, Vice Admiral Pim Bedet of the Royal Netherlands Navy who will have his staff in Naples, Italy.

The purpose of the NRF is to provide a highly trained, fully worked-up high readiness force, able to deploy quickly to participate in the full spectrum of NATO missions wherever required. Forces committed to the NRF are rotated between the nations. One NRF is always on standby for operations, with a follow-on NRF doing intensive work-up, ready to take over. Training is therefore an essential and continual process if this force is to be kept at peak readiness. It is through such testing exercises that the NRF can prepare for any mission NATO decides to assign.

Original article posted here.