Nisida,
Naples 14 February 2012: During the night between the 13 and 14 February,
five NATO submarines slipped their moorings and disappeared into the
winter waters off Sicily. At the same time 12 surface vessels steamed
out to the exercise area to begin a complex game of cat and mouse which
will last until 24 February. Proud Manta 12, NATO’s largest annual
anti-submarine exercise, is underway.
“This year we have a very large contribution to this exercise
by Allied nations,” stated Vice Admiral Veri, Commander Maritime
Command Naples (MC Naples), during a media day held 13 February. “Surface
and sub-surface vessels, helicopters and planes are coming together
in an extremely complex and progressively difficult scenario.”
Admiral Veri also pointed out that Proud Manta 12 foresees the switching
of roles from hunter to hunted for all those participating with periods
of ‘free-play’ in which ships, planes and submarines will
use all their stealth, experience and equipment to hunt and neutralize
each other. He also took the opportunity to point out the continued
importance of the role of the submarine and the need for NATO to continue
to train for full interoperability in all aspects of submarine warfare.
He also stressed the established and verified importance of submarines
in surveillance and Special Forces operations. |
This year’s event sees 15 helicopters and fixed-wing
airtcraft joining in the proceedings to include, for the first time,
Italian Eurofighters and Tornadoes posing a fast-attack air threat.
Rear Admiral James Foggo III, Commander Submarines, Allied Naval Forces
South, responding to a journalist’s question on the importance
of Proud Manta 12, put great emphasis on the training in interoperability
offered by the exercise. He pointed out that many of the personnel
and assets exercising were equally likely to find themselves operating
side-by-side in NATO-led operations where they could, for example,
find themselves combating piracy or terrorism. He also reminded those
present of the important maritime operations that NATO had carried
out in Mediterranean waters as part of Operation Unified Protector
in 2011.
A portion of the Proud Manta 12 surface fleet is made up of the ships
of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) currently under the control
of MC Naples. Asked what role his ships would have in the exercise
Commodore Ben Bekkering (COMSNMG1) told journalists that, other than
offering strong competition to the submarines, his Group is an Immediate
Reaction Force and that he must be able to carry out the tasks that
the Exercise participants are being trained to do immediately upon
receiving orders from NATO.
This year’s Proud Manta also includes a growing role for the
NATO Underwater Research Centre (NURC) from La Spezia, Italy. Scientists
and technicians aboard the NATO Research Vessel Alliance are this
year sailing in the very midst of the exercise carrying out experiments
on detection and tracking using Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, testing
software, and using NATO-developed ‘gliders’ to better
understand the presence and behaviour of marine fauna.
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