Dynamic Manta 2025: NATO’s Strategic Anti-Submarine Exercise
**NATO’s premier anti-submarine warfare exercise, Dynamic Manta 2025, has concluded with the participation of 11 member nations, including Turkey, in the Central Mediterranean. This year’s event aimed to bolster NATO’s capacity to detect, monitor, and counter submarine threats in one of the globe’s critical waterways, emphasizing the integration of air, surface, and underwater capabilities following rigorous multinational training phases.**
The exercise, orchestrated by the NATO Submarines Commander under the Allies’ Maritime Command (MARCOM), underscored the Alliance’s commitment to collective defense. It featured a remarkable turnout of ships, submarines, aircraft, and personnel, with a total of 9 warships, 13 aircraft, and over 1,600 sailors participating from Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Units from the Turkish, Italian, and Spanish navies engaged in crucial training exercises across the Mediterranean. According to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, the TCG YZB. GÜNGÖR DURMUŞ refueler vessel, along with the Italian Navy’s ITS NUMANA mine hunter and additional Spanish naval forces, participated actively in mine countermeasures.
Rear Admiral Bret Grabbe, NATO Submarine Commander, highlighted the significance of this year’s exercises, stating, “Dynamic Manta 2025 showcased our unwavering resolve to ensure NATO’s naval strength in underwater operations. The cooperation, professionalism, and expertise exhibited by our sailors, submarines, and aviators reflect the Alliance’s preparedness to address emerging security challenges.”
Hosted by Italy, the Dynamic Manta 2025 exercise ran from March 3 to March 14, 2025, with the NATO Standing Naval Task Force 2 (SNMG2) playing a pivotal role. Task Force Commander Admiral H. İlker Avcı noted, “The underwater domain presents substantial challenges for surface combatants. The Dynamic Manta series offers crucial opportunities to implement advanced Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) tactics through coordinated efforts from surface units, Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPAs), helicopters, and allied submarines.”
Throughout the exercise, participating units conducted a variety of tactical exercises, including elaborate communication drills and maneuvering operations. Submarines were systematically hunted, closely coordinated with air and naval surface units, highlighting the essential teamwork required in anti-submarine warfare operations.
As multinational forces from NATO allied nations presently engage in #DynamicManta 2025, the largest anti-submarine warfare drill in the Mediterranean, air assets have emerged as a crucial component of these operations. Maritime Patrol Aircraft enhance capabilities by providing vital surveillance and reconnaissance.
Aside from the training efforts, NATO is facing challenges, notably with delays in the production of NATO-standard ammunition in Ukraine, which could impact future operational readiness.
