From Allied Command Operations:  NATO’s Response Force (NRF) will conduct Exercise Brilliant Mariner between 12-22 April in the Northern and Baltic Sea to ensure they are fully prepared to respond as required to world-wide operations or crisis situations.

The maritime exercise will include 6,500 military personnel from 11 NATO nations, including France as Maritime commander, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, and one Partnership for Peace country, Sweden. The exercise will involve 40 warships, including an aircraft carrier, frigates, tankers and mine counter measure vessel, as well as 4 submarines and 30 aircraft.

Exercise Brilliant Mariner is coordinated by the staff of the Allied Maritime Command, Northwood, London and will present a realistic scenarios and a number of challenges for the commanders at sea, including asymmetric threats, maritime security operations, embargo operations and terrorist incidents. …

Rear Admiral Jean-Louis Kerignard, commander of the French Maritime Forces, will lead the exercise from the flagship, FS Mistral, which is a French Navy amphibious assault ship. "As maritime component commander during Exercise Brilliant Mariner, we will work closely with all participating nations in order to certify our readiness for NRF15. The scenario we are going to deal with provides the naval units with a great opportunity to train with efficiency, in order to overcome the threats we are liable to face together,” Kerignard said.  (graphic: Allied Command Operations)

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