NATO preparedness missions intensify as Russia orders tactical nuclear strike drills
Against a backdrop in which Russia is said to be ordering military drills to test its nuclear preparedness, Portugal has been taking part in NATO exercises involving ‘unprecedented manoeuvres’.
Submarine Arpão – a conventional sub – has been navigating under the Arctic ice flows.
Explain sources, this is usually the reserve of nuclear-powered submarines. No Portuguese sub has ever performed exercises of this nature.
When Arpão set out a little over a month ago, naval sources said the mission was focused on “deterring those who think they can extend the conflict beyond Ukraine”.
Fast forward to today, and we’re told Arpão has already navigated four full days under the ice, at some points within the ‘Marginal Ice Zone’ – an area of ‘high value’ in which “no other Western submarine has dared operate since World War II with total success”.
The vessel passed what Lusa describes as “the mythical parallel 66º33’N” – the marking of the border of the Arctic Circle – on April 29. It was a milestone that “had not previously been reached by Portuguese submariners”. Onboard was the Navy’s Chief of Staff, a national legend and former submarine commander, Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo.
The four days set ‘new precedents’ for the Portuguese Navy, and have been described as “one of (Arpão’s) greatest adventures” so far.
A note released to the press states that “in addition to adding a new capability to Portuguese submarines and, consequently, to the Navy, Arpão has once again put into practice the “art of doing well”, which has shown that even with all the constraints, but with dedication, competence and willpower, it is possible to continue to overcome new challenges, achieving goals considered by many, including allies, to be insurmountable”.
The Navy explains that navigating under the ice “required an intense period of preparation and study, in which the garrison almost had to ‘relearn’ how to operate the ship, since submarine navigation at high latitudes presents environmental and noise conditions and hazards to navigation – such as the existence of icebergs and loose ice – thus forcing many of the normal procedures and techniques normally used by submarines to be adapted when navigating at lower latitudes”
The communiqué also states that in the ‘almost seven months of preparation’, Arpão underwent a maintenance process ‘adapted to the specificities of this mission – namely the installation of a tower protection for the masts’ and ‘a high frequency sonar in the submarine’s tower’.
The exercise took place in collaboration with the navies of the United States, Canada and Denmark.
source: Lusa
