More than 50 NATO warships have joined forces in one of the most extensive European maritime exercises just a few hundred miles from the war in Ukraine.
Dynamic Mariner 22
All in all, 50 surface warships, 5 submarines, 5 aircraft, and 1,500 sailors and marines from 12 NATO member states are taking part in exercise Dynamic Mariner 22, which is hosted by Turkey.
The exercise is taking place just south of the Black Sea from where the Russian Navy is attacking Ukraine.
Some of the mission sets the NATO forces are drilling during the exercises are anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, mine countermeasures, amphibious, hybrid, and force protection, and maritime and air strike operations.
The following countries committed assets and personnel to the exercise: Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Turkey, Romania, Spain, and the U.S.
“Dynamic Mariner is an incredibly important large-scale maritime exercise. This year’s event includes more assets than ever before, facilitating increased interoperability between our nations and enhancing operational readiness. We continue to work closely with Turkey and other Allies and Partners to deter aggression and defend the Alliance,” French Navy Vice Admiral Didier Piaton, the deputy commander of MARCOM, said in a press release.
The NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) is the central command for all of the transatlantic alliance’s maritime forces. The command is headquartered in Northwood, in the United Kingdom, and its commander is the main NATO maritime advisor.
MARCOM forms part of NATO’s triad, with NATO Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) and NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) filling up the two other slots. All three commands report to the transatlantic alliance’s Allied Command Operations (ACO), which is headquartered in Belgium.
Turkey, An Uneasy Ally
The exercise takes place at a moment when the relationship between NATO and Turkey is at an all-time low. For some years now, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has been charting his own course that often collides with the shared values of the transatlantic alliance, creating friction and discontent among NATO’s ranks.
For example, despite warnings and the obvious conflict of interest, Turkey decided to purchase the advanced S-400 anti-aircraft systems from Russia. As a result, Turkey was kicked out of the F-35 Joint Strike Program and will likely never receive the fifth-generation fighter jet.
Things started going downhill from there. Turkey has weaponized immigration to attack the European Union through its neighbor Greece and continues to cater to and work with traditional anti-Western countries, such as Russia and Iran.
Indeed, Turkey’s relationship with Russia remains a thorn on NATO’s side. Although a member of NATO since 1952, Turkey continues to allow Russian military aircraft to fly over its airspace and only shut the Bosporus Strait passageway to the Black Sea after the Russian Navy had sent several warships to participate in the invasion of Ukraine.
On the sanctions front, Turkey continues to be the only NATO country that hasn’t been enforcing the complete sanctions package imposed on Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.
Expert Biography: A 19FortyFive Defense and National Security Columnist, Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
