Allied nations participating in the Royal Canadian Navy-led exercise Cutlass Fury 2019 conducted advanced anti-air warfare as the exercise progressed in the waters off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Participating units include Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) along with ships, submarines, aircraft and helicopters from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Denmark.

“Having the Royal Canadian Air Force and Allied air forces participate in Cutlass Fury allows us and our Navy colleagues to train for operations in a multi-threat environment, in which coordination and integration are absolutely critical to success,” said Royal Canadian Air Force Lt. Col. Serge Parisien, Cutlass Fury air task force commander. 

While Cutlass Fury has previously seen a focus on anti-submarine warfare, the addition of anti-air warfare brings a new element to the exercise. With the goal of simulating realistic operational scenarios, adding a significant anti-air warfare component to this year’s exercise enables the participants to train in a more complex multi-threat environment.

“In addition to an emphasis on anti-submarine warfare, Cutlass Fury 19 has also focused on air-maritime integration and support,” said Royal Canadian Navy Rear Adm. Craig Baines, commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic. “This has allowed for our participating nations to better understand the methods, techniques and strategies of their Allies while operating in a realistic, multi-threat, tactical-level training scenario. As Cutlass Fury continues to evolve in the future iterations, we will continue to stress the importance of being able to work in a joint, multinational environment in which coordination and integration are absolutely critical to success.”

The importance of evolving to meet the changes of maritime forces and threats was also stressed by U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Edward Cashman, commander of SNMG1.

“As the capabilities of potential adversaries continue to change, exercises need to evolve to ensure the Alliance is up-to-date on the newest technologies, tactics and procedures,” said Cashman. “Introducing anti-air warfare to Cutlass Fury enables us to train together in a more complex simulated threat environment and test the interoperability of NATO forces to adapt and quickly integrate with one another to achieve our mission. SNMG1 units are trained and certified in multiple maritime warfare mission areas and we must remain ready to carry out any of these possible missions.”

Cutlass Fury is a biennial, medium-scale exercise off the coast of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, with the purpose of training Canada's Atlantic Fleet, Allied navies, and other joint elements in tactical-level warfare.

SNMG1 is one of four standing maritime task groups composed of ships from various Allied countries. These task groups form the core maritime capabilities of NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF). They provide a continuous maritime capability to execute NATO missions across the spectrum of operations, demonstrate solidarity, and strengthen diplomatic and professional links among Allied naval forces.

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