Historic Ordinance Disposal in
Estonian waters
This week, Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures
Group One (SNMCMG1), supported by 3 additional ships from the Estonian Navy,
conducted a Historic Ordinance Disposal (HOD) operation within Estonian
territorial waters and the wider Baltic Sea Region. The aim was to identify and
dispose of sea mines, unexploded bombs and other types of residual historical explosive
ordinance from the World Wars that still pose a threat to civilian and military
vessels transiting the area.
Exercise ‘Furious Axe’ in Latvia
The British-led NATO enhanced Forward Presence
(eFP) Battlegroup Estonia deployed to Ādaži training area in Latvia, for Exercise
‘Furious Axe’. This exercise aims to fully integrate the Danish and British eFP
units into the Estonian 1st Infantry Brigade.
NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup
Latvia (eFP BG LVA) are playing 'opposition forces' - testing both Battlegroups
in defensive operations using the full breadth of the brigade’s capabilities.
This exercise will be a real test of the
interoperability between heavy armour, dismounted infantry, artillery, combat
engineers and a whole host of combat support services.
"The main objective of the
exercise is to ensure the functioning of the allied Battlegroup in the
framework of a brigade in cooperation with our battalion,"
said commander of the 1st Estonian Infantry
Brigade, Colonel Vahur Karus.
NATO’s eFP Battlegroups ensure their
continuing readiness to defend the eastern flank of the Alliance through long-term
cooperation with all the partner nation’s contributing units; further developing
an effective capability to act as a collective deterrence force in the region.
Exercise ‘Dynamic Guard 20’
After a 3-day port call in Cartagena, Spain, Standing
Naval Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) Flagship ESPS Alvaro de Bazan, on Monday 19
October, joined other ships attached to SNMG2 in the Western Mediterranean to
take part in the electronic warfare exercise ‘Dynamic Guard 20’.
The exercise is the second iteration of ‘Dynamic
Guard’ this year and aims to test the electronic warfare capabilities and
capacity for interoperability between NATO maritime forces, and to demonstrate
the enhanced abilities of SNMG2 when working cooperatively.
Exercises such as this allow for comprehensive
testing of the implementation of the Alliance’s maritime strategy, helping to
improve the understanding of current maritime security challenges and underline
the Alliance’s sustained commitment to collective defence and crisis
management.
