Synopsis
Naval forces from nine Allied countries are participating in the annual anti-submarine warfare exercise off the coast of Sicily, Italy. Led by NATO Allied Maritime Command, Dynamic Manta 23 runs from 27 February to 10 March.
Ships, submarines and aircraft from Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States took part in the exercise.
Dynamic Manta 23 provides the opportunity for NATO Allies to combat submarines from the air, surface and under water. During the exercise, surface ships are working with maritime patrol aircraft and submarines in a simulated submarine hunt to locate and neutralise threats.
The maritime domain is of strategic importance for NATO and NATO is determined to help protect its Allies from any possible threats at sea or from the sea.
Footage includes shots of Allied ships in formation, as well as an interview with the Commander of NATO Submarine Command, US Navy Rear Admiral Stephen Mack.
Transcript
---SHOTLIST—
(00:00) WIDE SHOT: HULL OF ITALIAN FRIGATE ITS MARGOTTINI DOCKED AT A PIER
(00:04) WIDE SHOT: TURKISH FRIGATE TCG BARBAROS LEAVING CATANIA HARBOUR
(00:08) VARIOUS SHOTS: INTERIOR OF ITS MARGOTTINI
(00:40) VARIOUS SHOTS: ITS MARGOTTINI LEAVING CATANIA HARBOUR
(00:47) VISUALS OF NATO COMPASS AND NATO FLAG
(00:56) VARIOUS SHOTS: AW101 HELICOPTER LANDING ON FLIGHT DECK OF ITS MARGOTTINI AND BEING STOWED INSIDE SHIP
(01:43) VARIOUS SHOTS: GREEK FRIGATE HS PSARA UNDERWAY
(01:51) VARIOUS SHOTS: ITALIAN SHIP ITS CARABINIERE UNDERWAY
(02:12) WIDE SHOT: HELICOPTER TRAVELLING ABOVE FORMATION
(02:15) VARIOUS SHOTS: SPANISH FRIGATE ESPS NUMANCIA UNDERWAY
(02:34) VARIOUS SHOTS: US DESTROYER USS JAMES E WILLIAMS UNDERWAY
(02:42) VARIOUS SHOTS: CANADIAN FRIGATE HMCS FREDERICTON SAILING ALONGSIDE GREEK FRIGATE HS PSARA
(03:02) WIDE SHOT: US SH-60R HELICOPTER
(03:07) VARIOUS SHOTS: GREEK SUBMARINE SURFACING AND IN FORMATION WITH SHIPS
(03:30) SLOW-MO SHOT (MUTE): US SH-60R HELICOPTER
(03:34) WIDE SHOT: ITS CARABINIERE, GREEK SUBMARINE AND US SH-60R HELICOPTER IN FORMATION
(03:42) VARIOUS SHOTS: TURKISH SUBMARINE
(03:47) WIDE SHOT: GREEK SUBMARINE IN FORMATION WITH SHIPS FROM EXERCISE
(03:52) VARIOUS SHOTS: US SH-60R HELICOPTER LOWERING LINE TO TURKISH SUBMARINE
(04:04) WIDE SHOT: GREEK SUBMARINE SAILING WITH ONLY MAST VISIBLE
(04:08) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) US Navy Rear Admiral Stephen Mack, Commander, Submarines NATO
“Anti-submarine warfare is a team sport and the opportunity that we have here with the nine nations we have participating in Dynamic Manta this year, which includes five submarines, nine surface ships, multiple MPA. Anti-submarine warfare being a team sport requires all of those platforms to operate at their highest end of capability and then not only individually to be operating at that capability but to integrate those teams across all those warfare disciplines, whether it's aviation, surface and submarine. And in this case, most of that will happen under the command of Rear Admiral Scott Sciretta, who is the Commander of our Standing NATO Maritime Group Two here in the Mediterranean.”
(04:53) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) US Navy Rear Admiral Stephen Mack, Commander, Submarines NATO
“Submarines have always, since their inception, been an asymmetric type threat. And we do know that to counter that asymmetric threat, we have very capable forces between, again, our air, surface and submarines. So NATO is ready to counter that threat. This practice will further refine those skills in everything from well-controlled individual platform training all the way up through fully integrated operations amongst all of the forces as we progress over the next two weeks.”
(05:28) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) US Navy Rear Admiral Stephen Mack, Commander, Submarines NATO
“From the beginning, submarines have been asymmetrical, so we have the ability to operate undetected and we control when we're observed. At least that's how we operate inside submarines. We have the ability to watch what's going on in the environment and behaviour doesn't change. So while we're there and we're monitoring enemy activities, the enemy doesn't know that the submarines are around. And so we have an ability to operate and observe how they train, how they operate, what they do, what their patterns of life are, and observe those in a manner that wouldn't otherwise be possible with a surface ship or an aircraft, because the enemy would see that, it changes behaviour and, and we might not learn as much.”
(06:14) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) US Navy Rear Admiral Stephen Mack, Commander, Submarines NATO
“Ultimately, this exercise, when it's finished, we’ll have achieved a high level of interoperability. We will finish the exercise at a very advanced level of coordinated operations between the air, the surface and the submarines. Ultimately, my goal is that each nation leaves this exercise better than they came into it. NATO is becoming and is a readiness-generating team. We bring ships in, we bring navies in, and they leave more ready to defend against the threat that's out there, more ready to interoperate. And again, we're stronger and better together.”
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