Sunday, September 30, 2007

Exercise Noble Midas 07 is Now Underway



NATO and partner nations will hold a maritime exercise called Noble Midas 07, from 27 September until 12 October,2007 in the waters adjacent to Split, Croatia.

Approximately 2,000 military and 50 civilian personnel, over 30 ships and submarines and 20 fixed-wing aircraft from NATO and the Croatian Armed Forces will train together in a Crisis Response Operation scenario, where NATO is appointed by the UN to build up an immediate reaction in a fictitious country on the brink of civil war.

The exercise will comprise forces from twelve NATO nations, including The Netherlands, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Romania, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States of America, as well as two Partner nations Albania and Croatia.

This live maritime and amphibious exercise will focus on NATO RESPONSE FORCE (NRF) operations supported from the sea, and aims to improve standards of interoperability and to test procedures among participating nations. It will also serve to facilitate certification of the next group of forces committed to the NRF, the Alliance’s high readiness force. Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) will play a significant role in the exercise.

The unique design of Noble Midas 07 demonstrates NATO’s ability and desire to ensure that forces from Allied and Partner nations can adequately operate together and permits an assessment of NRF progress. . While sustaining the required readiness of participating forces, it underpins NATO’s ability to continue its mission of maintaining peace and stability through training and co-operation with Partners.

Noble Midas 07, will be conducted by Allied Maritime Component Command Headquarters Naples (CC-MAR HQ Naples).