Exercise Dynamic Mongoose 2020. 1.0.1

Exercise Dynamic Mongoose 2020. June 29-July 20 2020. Historical Training Scenario.

 A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for GIUK Gap Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.012 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.

 This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/NATO side or from the Red/Russian side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.

 Image: The US surface element in Dynamic Mongoose 2002 was the Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA (With 5"/62 calibers Mk45 Mod 4 gun replacing the previous 5"/54) guided-missile BMD destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) conducting here a photo exercise with the Santa Maria-class frigate SPS Santa Maria (F 81) Southwest Spain, as Roosevelt transited from its homeport in Rota, to Iceland for NATO Exercise Dynamic Mongoose 2020, June 25, 2020. Roosevelt replaces USS Carney (DDG 64) after five years as part of Forward Deployed Naval Force-Europe (FDNF-E), and as the four previous ships based at Rota, has replaced her aft 20mm Phalanx mount by a SeaRAM missile mount (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Austin G. Collins/Released. Photo took by a service person on duty, and in consequence in public domain).

From the last years constant NATO and partners military exercises are a guarantee to prevent any Russia temptation to resolve with an open war its internal issues, with another military offensive action after the Georgia, Crimea and East Ukraine actions.

From the eventful year of 2014 the World was beginning the so-called Second Cold War, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) was showing clearly his plan to recover the Russian Empire and later Soviet territories for reinstitute the greatness of his Russia, and to guarantee his passage on the History as saviour of the Rodina.

From May 2014 Putin was provoking in succession the Crimea, Ukraine, Donetsk, Baltic States, October 2014 Swedish submarine incursion, G-20 Brisbane meeting naval crisis, November 2014 Faslane submarine incident, frigate Yaroslav Mudryy February "Channel Dash", April 2015 Finnish submarine incursion (for many observers causing the pre-mobilization of Finland reserve forces), Russian intervention in Syria from 30 September 2015, shoot-down by Turkish F-16 fighters equipped with AIM-120 AMRAAM on 24 November 2015 of a Russian Su-24M as consequence of the repeated unlawful overflights of Turkey by Russian warplanes based in Latakia, and after two months of repeated warning, March 2016 detection by the French of a Russian submarine near Bay of Biscay and its SSBN base, the propaganda stunt of the deployment of the only one Russian aircraft carrier Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov steaming (a lot, literally) from Kola Bay towards Eastern Mediterranean from October 15, 2016, and with constant and multiple Russian overflies with military warplanes entangled in potential incidents with commercial flights in Europe, so far as at the Portuguese shores. That without counting in other unrelated naval incidents aside the upcoming Second Cold War, just as the Iranian seizure of the merchant Maersk Tigris in 28 April 2015, the shore-based anti-ship missile attacks against the catamaran transport ex Swift (HSV-2) and US destroyers on the Red Sea in October 2016 and the ulterior retaliation, the first military operation of the Trump Administration on January 28, 2017, the MV-22B tiltrotor raid of SEAL Team 6 operating from USS Makin Island (LHD-8) against Houthi Yemen, the later January 30 incident, when an Al-Madinah-class Saudi frigate was attacked and damaged probably by a Houthi suicide or drone boat off Al Hudaydah, Houthi Yemen, and the constant and intense naval drills as Sea Shield, Dynamic Manta and Dynamic Mongoose 2017. (And without counting in great landlocked actions, as the complex counter-Daesh operations in Middle East, nor the Chinese naval issues and challenges).

For many observers the continuous and large NATO and partners military exercises show to Russia the Western will to resist his threats, keeping a tense peace.

The Russian were also executing continuous exercises and operations, surprising the World again with intervention in Libya airlifting across the Mediterranean Sea via the Russian Khmeimim base in Syria (but previously with Russian military contractors in Libya from 2018, of the Wagner company of Yevgeny Prigozhin). Even more confuse with the unexpected support of Turkey to the opposing side, including first line naval vessels, and airlifted elements of the Assadist Syrian National Army, dating from officially 2 January 2020 (Approbation of the intervention by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey). To clarify (or not) sides, Russia's Putin is supporting the 2014 elected House of Representatives relocated to hotels in Tobruk, and Erdogan's Turkey is supporting the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, with the UN Security Council endorsement, and as added complication Al-Sisi's Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, as Russia, supports the Tobruk's House of Representatives government and opposes the Turkish intervention because the East Mediterranean balance of power. And Egyptian Army heavy elements wait to cross the Egypt-Libya border from 14 July 2020, when Tobruk's House of Representatives approved a motion authorising Egypt to directly intervene military in Libyan ground if needed.

Dynamic Mongoose 2017 was developed near Iceland first time as is usually executed near Norway, with participation of Icelandic elements, now in the way to be converted in true armed forces. From this 2020 edition, second time in Iceland, it has been decided that the exercises will be held alternately in Iceland and Norway. Iceland will provide facilities in the security area of Keflavik Airport and the Icelandic Coast Guard will participate in the exercises.

Probably part of the exercise, as showed in this scenario, was to control the passage of Russian submarines between Greenland and Iceland, but this is only an informed guess.

For sake of comparison and of the evolving forces, you can play also the previous Dynamic Mongoose 2015 and 2017 scenarios, and see the meagre elements deployed this year of Covid-19.

 Of course this is a training exercise and actually shots, torpedoes and missiles aren't fired and nobody is hurt ...

Enrique Mas, 21 July 2020.