NATO Naval Forces Begin Multinational Exercise

Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Fredericton has joined Joint Warrior exercise on Sunday, as part of its deployment under Operation REASSURANCE in support of NATO assurance measures in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Fredericton and other Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) warships, as well as the two Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CP-140 Auroras, will participate in the semi-annual training exercise conducted in the coastal waters off the United Kingdom from April 12 to 23, the news release announced on Sunday.

The training is designed to provide NATO and non-NATO forces a multi-warfare environment to prepare them for global operations.

Under the command of SNMG2, HMCS Fredericton will exercise with more than 50 warships in support of 15 countries making it the biggest in the history of the multinational exercise.

Participating ships will conduct a large spectrum of naval exercises including Maritime Interdiction Operations, Air Defence Exercises and Casualty Exercises while operating in a simulated unstable political environment.

The exercise will include air, sea and ground assets from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.

HMCS Fredericton is the first modernized frigate to deploy in support of Government of Canada objectives. The ship’s participation in Exercise JOINT WARRIOR will demonstrate its developments in surveillance and information sharing capability.

SNMG2 is comprised of HMCS Fredericton, the US flagship, USS Vicksburg (CG 69), Turkish ship TCG Goksu and German oiler FGS Spessart (A 1442).

HMCS Fredericton is a Halifax-class frigate with a crew of approximately 250 personnel of all ranks, including a CH-124 Sea King helicopter and air detachment. The CP-140 Auroras are from 19 Wing Comox, British Columbia, and from 14 Wing Greenwood, Nova-Scotia.