NATO joins Greek mine countermeasures exercise Ariadne 23 near Crete.

According to information published by NATO on March 22, 2023, Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) participated in the Greek-hosted exercise Ariadne 23 off the north coast of Crete, Greece.
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Seafox drone. (Picture source: NATO)

Ariadne is an annual mine countermeasures exercise that aims to improve capabilities of units conducting mine countermeasures operations in a multi-treat environment, enhancing cooperation and interoperability among participants.

The exercise began in Souda with the harbour phase from March 6-8 and progressed to the sea phase from March 9-16. Participants conducted a series of mine countermeasures tasks in asymmetric threat environment based on fictitious scenarios.

During Ariadne 23, SNMCMG2 was represented by the Turkish flagship TCG Yuzbasi Gungor Durmus and mine hunters ITS Numana (Italy), HNLMS Makkum (Netherlands), ESPS Tajo (Spain) and TCG Enez (Türkiye).

SNMCMG2

The Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) is a standing Immediate Reaction Force within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that specializes in mine countermeasures.