NATO kicked off its annual Dynamic Manta anti-submarine warfare exercise today in the Mediterranean, with this year’s iteration including an American nuclear-powered attack sub and the French carrier strike group as it passes by the exercise’s operating area off Sicily.
The exercise, which runs through March 5, includes submarines, surface ships and aircraft from eight nations: Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the United States. Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 leads the exercise that is meant to boost ASW proficiency in that particular geography and threat set, which includes routine Russian submarine traffic as boats flow between a Russian sub base