LONDON -- NATO troops, vessels and aircraft took to the frigid North Atlantic Ocean last month to sharpen their skills for a potential future war at sea, whether in the tumultuous Atlantic or in waters closer to their hypothetical Russian adversaries.The drills -- led by U.S.Naval Forces Europe and the U.S.
Navy's 6th Fleet -- "focused on the strategic waterways and airspace surrounding Iceland," a NATO press release said, an area it described as "a vital hub in the North Atlantic." NATO forces practiced tracking enemy naval forces -- including submarines -- and responding to mass casualty events.But one part of the exercise was designed with a different region, though the same hypothetical enemy, in mind.With U.S.Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft acting as their eyes, Polish Naval Strike Missile (NSM) units used their time in Iceland to simulate strikes on enemy ships out at sea.Lt.
Bartlomiej Gryglewski, a liaison officer for the Polish navy's naval missile unit, told ABC News that his contingent performed every step up until the actual firing of the munitions."We 'performed' a lot of strikes," Gryglewski said, describing the Norwegian-made NSM as a "pretty awesome" weapon.The combination of the "precise missile" and the information gathered by the American aircraft above gives a "a high percentage chance -- almost 100% -- that the target will be hit," Gryglewski added.The North Atlantic, though, is not the expected hunting ground.A Naval Strike Missile-Mobile Launch Vehicle is in raised firing position during a training exercise as part of Northern Viking 24 on Keflavik Air Base, Iceland, Aug.
26, 2024.U.S.Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Almagissel Schuring"We almost always perform our exercises in the Baltic region," Gryglewski said, "protecting the Baltic Sea region from the enemy" as part of Poland's coastal defense system.NATO's 'lake'There, Russia is "facing a real imbalance" with its NATO rivals, Sidharth Kaushal of the U.K.'s Royal Unite...