Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) has concluded Exercise Dynamic Guard off the coast of Turkey, with training centred on electronic warfare (EW) and anti-ship missile defence, NATO stated.
The exercise ran until 12 September and brought together approximately 1,000 personnel. Participating naval units included the Italian Navy’s ITS Bergamini, serving as SNMG2’s flagship, along with Turkish Navy vessels TCG Barbaros, TCG Gediz, TCG Imbat and TCG Osmangazi.
According to NATO, the objective was to give Allied forces realistic training in a contested electronic environment, including scenarios where communications and sensors were degraded or denied. The NATO Joint Electronic Warfare Core Staff (JEWCS) supported the exercise with advanced systems and specialist expertise, providing up-to-date simulations of adversary threats.
The training scenarios simulated hostile use of sensors, jamming and electronic surveillance from naval platforms designed to detect, degrade and target NATO units with anti-ship missiles. Allied ships were required to demonstrate their ability to identify such threats, respond to electronic warfare measures, and defend both themselves and the wider task group.
Rear Admiral Francesco Iavazzo, Commander of SNMG2, said in the press release: “By working together in complex scenarios, we increase our level of mutual interoperability and readiness, refine our tactical skills, and consolidate the bonds of the Alliance that ensure our collective security.”
NATO stated that Dynamic Guard is an important element in strengthening operational capabilities, particularly at a time when control of the electromagnetic spectrum is increasingly contested. The Alliance added that exercises like this are designed to ensure Allied forces are able to sustain effectiveness against evolving threats.
SNMG2 is one of NATO’s four standing maritime task groups under Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM). These groups form the Alliance’s core maritime capability within the NATO Allied Reaction Force and provide a continuous presence at sea, demonstrating solidarity and interoperability across Allied naval forces.
MARCOM serves as the central command of NATO’s maritime forces, with its Commander acting as the primary maritime advisor to the Alliance.
