The Turkey-hosted international mine warfare exercise Nusret 2018 got underway in the Gulf of Izmir on October 16.
Turkish minehunters are joined by ships from NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasure Group 2 for ten days of exercises. Nusret 2018 will also welcome autonomous underwater systems and ordnance disposal specialists from Romania and Greece for evolutions.
According to the Turkish Navy, observers and naval personnel from Qatar, Kuwait, Pakistan, Romania, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and the US will also be present.
According to photos of naval vessels assembled in the port of Izmir ahead of the exercise, Turkey’s new landing ship TCG Bayraktar will be playing a role in the drills.
Nusret is an annual invitation exercise hosted by Turkey with the aim of improving interoperability between navies in planning and executing mine warfare.
The exercise is named after the Turkish Navy’s WWI minelayer ship ‘Nusret’ which was responsible for mining the Canakkale channel during the Battle of Gallipoli.