NATO update

NATO Allies train in Arctic Norway Troops from France, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, the United States, and Sweden have deployed to Harstad, Norway for exercise “Nordic Response 2024”. “Nordic Response 2024” is part of NATO’s biggest exercise in decades called “Steadfast Defender 2024” Troops participated in amphibious operations training as they got ready to engage in the field exercise, which is running from 3 to 14 March. Finnish, French and Swedish forces have embarked on the US Navy’s USS Gunston Hall, an amphibious assault ship. Meanwhile, the Netherlands Marine Corps have practised amphibious landings on Sandstrand beaches near Harstad. Additionally, Italian marines from the San Marco Marine Brigade have trained their sharpshooting skills in the freezing Norwegian Arctic. Click here to download the b-roll. Footage includes shots of the Netherlands Marine Corps practising amphibious landings, Italian troops from the San Marco Marine Brigade practising sharpshooting skills and getting trained by the Norwegian Army in winter survival skills, as well as members of the Finnish Nyland Brigade boarding USS Gunston Hall. Footage also includes an interview with the Commanding Officer of the US Navy’s USS Gunston Hall. You can also click here for more information on exercise Steadfast Defender 2024. Tank hunters: meet the US Army’s Apaches For US Army forces in Europe, there are few tools as valuable as the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. Part scout, part flying tank, the Apache’s job is to fly low and fast, sneak behind enemy lines and use a combination of advanced sensors and bruising firepower to foil attacks before they happen. Doing this requires a certain kind of pilot, and Apache drivers have a reputation for being hard-charging and aggressive. The 12th Combat Aviation Brigade (12th CAB), forward deployed to Ansbach, Germany, brings the Apache’s firepower to US Army commanders in Europe. They regularly train with Allied ground forces, proving their ability to rapidly respond to crises whenever and wherever needed. For example, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, 12th CAB’s Apaches rapidly deployed to Latvia, where they assured Allies in the region. Click here to download the video. You can also watch the video on YouTube.

NATO Allies conduct drills to hunt submarines in exercise Dynamic Manta 24 Ships, submarines, aircraft and thousands of personnel have come together in the Mediterranean Sea for a NATO submarine warfare exercise. As NATO’s most advanced anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise, Dynamic Manta 24 will journey to the heart of naval operations, where state-of-the-art submarines and cutting-edge technologies converge. This demanding exercise takes place concurrently with NATO’s largest exercise, Steadfast Defender, demonstrating the Alliance’s ability to carry out exercises and missions simultaneously across the Euro-Atlantic area. Exercise Dynamic Manta runs from 26 February to 8 March.  Click here to download the b-roll and here for the photo gallery. This footage was filmed on board the Turkish Navy submarine TCG Anafartalar and frigate TCG Gediz. The footage includes various shots of sailors participating in the exercise, a Turkish Navy Seahawk helicopter conducting helicopter-submarine winch exercise, submarine emergency surfacing exercise, and soundbites from Commander Submarines NATO and a Turkish submarine officer. 1 March 2024 Update Czechia to host informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in May Czechia will host the next informal meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, which will take place in Prague on 30-31 May 2024. READ MORE Secretary General appoints new NATO Spokesperson Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has appointed Farah Dakhlallah of the United Kingdom as the next NATO Spokesperson. Ms Dakhlallah will take up her responsibilities during March 2024. READ MORE Deputy Secretary General in Spain: NATO is in a new era of strategic and industrial transformation NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană concluded his trip to Madrid on 29 February 2024 with an address to the students and staff of IE University. READ MORE Chair of the NATO Military Committee visits partner Ireland On 26-28 February 2024, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, was in Ireland for an official visit at the invitation of the Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy. During the visit, he also met with the Secretary General of the Department of Defence, Jacqui McCrum, provided an address to members of the Irish Defence Forces and engaged with the Institute for International and European Affairs. READ MORE NATO meets with partners to discuss the dynamics of strategies and implementation of partnerships On 28 February 2024, the Cooperative Security Division of the NATO International Military Staff (IMS) hosted its bi-annual meeting with partners. Participants from 30 NATO partner countries and the European Union Military Staff discussed strategic partnering, capacity-building, education and training solutions, and practical cooperation. READ MORE Tank Hunters - the US Army's Apache attack helicopters For US Army forces in Europe, there are few tools as valuable as the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. Part scout, part flying tank, the Apache’s job is to fly low and fast, sneak behind enemy lines and use a combination of advanced sensors and bruising firepower to foil attacks before they happen. Doing this requires a certain kind of pilot, and Apache drivers have a reputation for being hard-charging and aggressive. WATCH VIDEO THIS WEEK IN PICTURES