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Largest NATO Nation Exercise Kicks Off at NAS Sigonella

Navy Newsstand

Story Number: NNS040226-08

Release Date: 2/26/2004 3:00:00 PM

By Journalist 1st Class Russ Tafuri, Naval Media Center Fleet Support Detachment, Sigonella

SICILY (NNS) -- Seventeen NATO nations will provide submarines, maritime patrol aircraft, surface ships and 2,000 personnel for NATO's largest anti-submarine warfare exercise, "Dogfish 04," from Feb. 19 through March 3.

According to Lt. Cmdr. Harvey Burwin of the British Royal Navy, Public Information Officer for Regional Headquarters Allied Forces Southern Europe, the exercise aims to provide advanced training in air/surface/submarine cooperation, and coordinated anti-submarine warfare operations against transiting and on-station submarines.

"It also gives the participants the chance to exercise the associated NATO procedures, to include command and control, defense against submarine surveillance and other related training," said Burwin.

Burwin also offered that the exercise is an opportunity for NATO to bring together all member nations to exercise together in a very specialized type of warfare. He also noted that it serves "to practice exactly what is taking place in the Eastern Mediterranean today with Operation Active Endeavor, NATO's anti-terrorism operation, which is very important for this alliance right now due to the peace-keeping operations currently taking place in Kosovo, Bosnia, Macedonia and Afghanistan."

NATO's Exercise Dogfish takes place in the Ionian Sea off the eastern coast of Sicily and demonstrates NATO's determination to maintain proficiency in coordinated anti-submarine, anti-surface, and coastal surveillance operations, using a multinational force of ships, submarines and aircraft.

Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the United States will provide the submarines participating in the exercise. Each submarine will have the opportunity to be a hunter as well as the hunted.

Five NATO surface ships from Standing Naval Forces Mediterranean will take part, as well as two French frigates and two Italian Corvettes. The maritime patrol aircraft will operate from Sigonella, Sicily, and are from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. Italian shore-based anti-submarine warfare helicopters from Fontanarossa, Sicily, will also participate.

More than 100 day and night air missions are planned, and will be coordinated from multinational NATO headquarters, Allied Naval Forces South in Naples, Italy.

For more information on the exercise and Allied Forces Southern Europe, log onto www.afsouth.nato.int and click on the Dogfish link.