List of NATO exercises

This is a list of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) exercises.

1950–2015[]

• Mainbrace - Defence of Denmark and Norway during September 1952.
  • 200 ships
  • over 50,000 personnel^[1]
• Exercise Grand Slam in the Mediterranean Sea^[2]
• Exercise Longstep in the Mediterranean Sea^[2]
• , a combined air-naval-ground exercise in northern Italy during August 1953^[2]
• during September 1953
  • British Army on the Rhine (BAOR)^[2]
  • Netherlands Corps ^[2]
  • Allied Air Forces Central Europe (AAFCE)^[2]
• , a simulated atomic air-ground exercise during September 1953
  • Central Army Group^[2]
• , a combined amphibious landing exercise in the Mediterranean Sea during October 1953
  • American, British, Greek, Italian and Turkish naval forces.^[2]
• During Exercise Battle Royal in September 1954, I Corps (Belgium) consisted of 1 (BE) Infantry Division and 16 (BE) Armoured Division with 1 Canadian Brigade and 46 Parachute Brigade (16th Airborne Division (United Kingdom)) under command.^[3]
• Operation Counter Punch during 1957^[4]
• Operation Strikeback during 1957^[4]
• Operation Deep Water during 1957^[4]

• Exercise Reforger was an annual exercise and campaign conducted from 1969 to 1993

• Northern Wedding was a NATO Cold War naval military exercise, designed to test NATO's ability to rearm and resupply Europe from 1970 to 1986

• Exercise Able Archer was an annual exercise by NATO military forces in Europe. Able Archer 83, carried out in November 1983, is believed to have nearly started a nuclear war with the Soviet Union.

• Unified Vision was a biannual exercise which began in 2012 to test advanced defense systems at the Ørland Main Air Station in Norway.^[5]

2016[]

• 16 - Trøndelag, Norway until 9 March 2016.
  • Air Component
    • United States
      • Boeing B-52H Stratofortresses of the 2d Bomb Wing^[6]
      • Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers^[6]
      • General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons^[6]
      • Lockheed C-130 Herculeses^[6]

2018[]

• Exercise Trident Juncture 2018 – Trøndelag, Oppland and Hedmark, Norway October–November 2018.

2020[]

• “Exercise DEFENDER-Europe 20 is a U.S.-led multinational exercise, including NATO's participation. It is the largest deployment of U.S.-based forces to Europe in more than 25 years with 20,000 soldiers deployed directly from the U.S. to Europe.”^[7]

Dynamic Mongoose 20 is a NATO-led exercise that took place from 29 June to 10 July 2020 in the High North. Ships, submarines, aircraft and personnel from six Allied nations (France, Germany, Norway, UK, Canada and USA) exercised off the coast of Iceland for Anti-Submarine warfare (ASW) and Anti-Surface warfare training. According to scientists, sonar anti-submarine trainings during Dynamic Mongoose 20 resulted in disastrous consequences for the population of whales in the North Atlantic. British zoologists have recorded the death of at least 29 marine mammals over several weeks across Europe that caused irreparable damage to the fragile marine ecosystem.^[8]

Six U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber aircraft from the 5th Bomb Wing, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, had arrived Aug. 22, 2020 at RAF Fairford, England for a long planned training mission where the aircraft conducted theater and flight training across Europe and Africa.^[9]

The strategic bomber missions “Bomber Task Force”, which have been occurring since 2018, provide opportunities for U.S. integration with NATO allies and put pressure on Russia.^[10]

On September 4, the American B-52s entered the airspace of Ukraine for the first time in history, where they made a long flight along the borders of the Crimean peninsula.^[11]

On Sep. 25, two U.S. bombers staged a mock attack run on Russia’s territory in Eastern Europe. The flight path allowed the bombers effectively to fly a circle around Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic between Poland and Lithuania. The simulated raid on the Kaliningrad region was a test case of destroying Russian air defense systems located in the region.^[12]

Altogether, in August-September 2020, American nuclear weapons carriers flew at least 18 times to Russia's northern, western and southern borders during the operation, which is an unprecedented event since the end of the Cold War.^[13]

2021[]

, one of the largest U.S.-Army, NATO-led military exercises in Europe in decades, began in mid-March and will last until June. It included "nearly simultaneous operations across more than 30 training areas" in Albania, Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Kosovo and other countries.^[14][15] Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, commanding general of the United States Army Europe and Africa, said that "While we are closely monitoring the COVID situation, we’ve proven we have the capability to train safely despite the pandemic."^[14] Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that Russia has deployed troops to its western borders for "combat training exercises" in response to NATO "military activities that threaten Russia."^[16]

CAPABLE DEPLOYER 2021 – NATO Allied Force Interoperability Exercise, which is planned and coordinated by the Multinational Logistics Center. The exercises will take place in Romania from May 2 to 23.

Wind Spring 21 – Maintain the operational capacity of planning and executing joint and multinational NATO military operations in Europe. 2- 27 May Romania

Ramstein Guard 3 21 – The NATO Electronic Warfare Force Integration Programme with regional elements of NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence System conducted through the Combined Air Operation Centre's (CAOC). 3 - 14 May Portugal

2022[]

"Neptune Strike 22" started in late January with aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and its battle group coming under NATO command for patrolling exercises in the Mediterranean Sea.^[17]

References[]