Military

The games will begin with NATO aircraft, subs, ships — and software.

The latter is the latest addition to the annual Dogfish war games: new computer
programs that allow analysis teams to critique and dissect missions while they’re
still in progress.

"It’s only software that’s been developed in the last year that’s
allowed this to happen," said Lt. Cmdr. H.L. Burwin, a Royal Navy officer and a
spokesman for Allied Forces Southern Europe.

Before, such analyses were unavailable until an entire exercise finished.

"It’s quite a step," Burwin said.

This 27th annual staging of the Dogfish exercise runs from Feb. 14 through Feb. 27, and
will feature 120 air missions. According to a AFSOUTH press release, that means an air
crew will be briefed every two hours, day and night, for the entire exercise.

Dogfish takes place in the Ionian Sea to the east of Sicily.

To match its new software sophistication, the exercise wields a formidable hardware
arsenal as well. All told, nine sumbarines, 19 maritime patrol aircraft and 11 ships will
attempt to track and destroy one another, if only virtually. The AFSOUTH release promises
each sub will get the chance to be both "hunter as well as the hunted."

The United States will contribute submarines, a destroyer and maritime patrol aircraft.
All aircraft will fly from Sigonella, Sicily, with the exception of Italian helicopters
based elsewhere.

Submarines from France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom will
participate.

Two French destroyers and two Italian corvettes will join the U.S. destroyer on the
surface.

In the air, maritime patrol planes from Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway,
Portugal and the United Kingdom will hunt for submarines, as will the Americans.

Italy will fly anti-submarine warfare helicopters from Fontanarossa, Sicily.

Though happening much farther south, the exercise is commanded from the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization regional headquarters in Naples, Italy.

Despite the new computer analysis capability, Dogfish will test the same sorts of
skills it has for nearly the last 30 years.

"The focus is the same," Burwin said. "It’s still the biggest
combined exercise of submarines and maritime aircraft trying to battle submarines.…
It’s the only real opportunity for large groups to practice their
interoperability."