Exercise Dynamic Mercy concludes

NATO Allies and partners participate in a search and rescue exercise in the Baltic Sea as part of Exercise Dynamic Mercy which concluded on May 10. - NATO Photo by CPO Christian Valverde,  FRA Navy

Rønne, Denmark -- NATO Allies collaborated during a search and rescue exercise in the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, May 10, 2017, as part of Exercise DYNAMIC MERCY 2017.

Naval vessels and personnel with the French, German, Polish, Royal Danish and Swedish Navies actively participated in the search and rescue. Rescue responders from nearby countries also responded, bringing national and civilian entities side-by-side with military units.

Search and rescue exercises typically have a goal of finding the missing persons and rescuing them, but there is something more important gained from the exercise, according to Lieutenant Commander Jesper Mygind, captain of a participating Danish transport vessel, Sleipner.

"Communication and coordination and understanding how each country works during search and rescue, because we all do it in our own way,” Mygind said as the most important lessoned learned during the exercise.

Dynamic Mercy promotes inter-regional and cross boundary cooperation between Rescue Coordination Centres and Search and Rescue units, military or civilian, in NATO’s northern region. This also includes Partner Nations that have common Search and Rescue Region boundaries with Allies.

Story by SHAPE Public Affairs Office