NATO Submarine Search and Rescue Exercise Underway

Dynamic Monarch/Kurtaran 2021, the 11th in a series of NATO-sponsored live Submarine Escape and Rescue (SMER) exercises officially started in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, off Aksaz, Turkey. The exercise will focus on utilizing technologies to save sailors stuck in a sunken submarine.

The International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office (ISMERLO)-run exercise is tied to annual Turkish Navy exercise Kurtaran and hosted by Turkey. Assets and personnel from Italy, Turkey and the United States together with personnel from Canada, Greece and Spain will also take part in the submarine escape and rescue training scenarios. The exercise enables worldwide partners to share SMER-related knowledge.

The sea phase will consist of numerous rescue and intervention exercises utilizing submarines, rescue vehicles, recompression chambers, medical teams and equipment, remote operated vehicles, aircrafts, atmospheric diving suits and divers.

The International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office (ISMERLO) is an organization that aims to facilitate an international response for a distressed submarine and to improve the ability to respond to a call for assistance through its coordination role. The military organization operates in an international environment focused on the humanitarian aspect, which is saving lives at sea. Although established by NATO, ISMERLO supports all nations and pursues the involvement of global submarine-operating nations.

ISMERLO also provided support and expertise during the search and rescue efforts after real life accidents with Argentine Navy Submarine San Juan in 2017 and Indonesian Navy Submarine KRI Nanggala in April 2021.

Due to ongoing Covid-19 risks, necessary precautions will be followed by all the participants.