Doğu Akdeniz 2017 Naval Exercise Started In Eastern Mediterranean

Doğu Akdeniz 2017 naval exercise kicked off yesterday at Turkish Naval Base in Aksaz, Marmaris

The biannual, invitation exercise will take in areas near Aksaz in the Eastern Mediterranean between 7 and 16 November 2017.

Turkey has invited the NATO Standing Maritime Task Force-2 (SNMG-2), the United States and Romanian Naval Forces. They will join the Naval Forces, Air Forces and Coast Guard elements from Turkey.

25 warships and submarines 27 helicopters and airplanes and 3500 personnel from 5 participating countries will take part in the exercise. The exercise is a multinational maritime exercise designed to improve combined combat capabilities, increase operational capacity and strengthen relationships among NATO allies.

This is the list of the participating ships and submarines as far as I could comply:

Number	Name	Type	Nationality	Fleet
F-245	TCG Oruçreis	Frigate	Turkey
F-24X	TCG XXX	Frigate	Turkey
F-24X	TCG XXX	Frigate	Turkey
F-24X	TCG XXX	Frigate	Turkey
F-24X	TCG XXX	Frigate	Turkey
F-511	TCG Heybeliada	Corvette	Turkey
P-344	TCG Rüzgar	Fast attack craft	Turkey
P-345	TCG Poyraz	Fast attack craft	Turkey
P-347	TCG Fırtına	Fast attack craft	Turkey
P-338	TCG Bora	Fast attack craft	Turkey
P-33X	TCG XXX	Fast attack craft	Turkey
S-35X	TCG XXX	Submarine	Turkey
S-35X	TCG XXX	Submarine	Turkey
S-35X	TCG XXX	Submarine	Turkey
A-580	TCG Akar	Tanker	Turkey
A-XXX	TCG XXX	Tanker	Turkey
L-402	TCG Bayraktar	LST	Turkey
A-XXX	TCG XXX	Tug	Turkey
SG-703	TCSG Yaşam	OPV	Turkey	CG
L-12	HMS Ocean	LSH	UK	SNMG-2
F-244	TCG Barbaros	Frigate	Turkey	SNMG-2
41	BGS Drazki	Frigate	Bulgaria	SNMG-2
265	ROS Admiral Horia Macelariu	Corvette	Romania
75	USS Donald Cook	Destroyer	USA

Furthermore following military and civilian search and rescue and emergency responce teams will tke part in the exercise:

 

1. Turkish Land Forces Command Natural Disaster Relief teams and ambulance helicopters,
2. Turkish Air Force Command, search and rescue helicopter and AKİP (Search and Rescue Specialist Staff) team,
3. Ministry of Interior (Gendarmerie General Command), JAK (Gendarme Search and Rescue) teams,
4. Transport, Maritime and Communications Ministry, Coastal Security General Directorate, Nene Hatun emergency response ship,
5. Ministry of Health mobile hospital, command control instrument and UMKE (National Medical Rescue Team) teams,
6. The Turkish Red Crescent

An important part of the exercise will be the attempts to provide coastal safety during disasters by means of disaster and emergency operations, search and rescue, humanitarian aid and air sanitary evacuation procedures.  The command, control and communications capabilities of the newest amphibious ship of Turkish Navy, TCG Bayraktar will be tested and evaluated in this scenario extensively.