Hosted by Norway, the exercise will take place in Norwegian territorial waters between 9 – 19 September.
Held every three years, Dynamic Monarch is the world’s most challenging submarine rescue exercises. It brings together naval forces from across the Alliance to test and refine their submarine rescue capabilities.
Dynamic Monarch alternates between warm and cold water with this year’s exercise in Norway being the first cold water iteration since 2014. The exercise will involve 10 nations – Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States. During the ten-day evolutions, participating navies and personnel will showcase the very latest in submarine rescue technology, operational strategies, and above all, enhance international cooperation to respond efficiently when lives are at stake.
Exercise planners developed complex scenarios to reflect real-world situations submariners might face. Participants will engage in coordinated efforts to rescue personnel trapped inside distressed submarines, testing their capabilities in communication, operational procedures and emergency response. State-of-the-art rescue ships NoCGV Barentshav (Norway), HMSwS Belos (Sweden) and TCG Alemdar (Türkiye) are taking part.
Specialist equipment also includes the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS), a rescue submersible that can evacuate submariners from a stricken vessel. Jointly owned by France, Norway and the UK, and based at HM Naval Base Clyde, it can dive down to around 600 metres to a submarine in distress and dock with escape hatches, enabling those inside to get out. It can rescue up to 15 people at a time, including patients on stretchers, returning them to the surface. Operating teams aim to have it anywhere in the world within 96 hours.
Also taking part in the exercise are multinational medical teams. They will practise treating trauma patients inside special decompression chambers on board the rescue ships.