14 ships from 8 NATO Allied countries participate in the Formidable Shield 23

USPA NEWS - Fourteen ships from eight NATO Allied nations, including U.S. Navy destroyers USS Porter (DDG-78) and USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79), sailed together in the North Atlantic Ocean during exercise Formidable Shield '23 from May 15, 2023. The exercise start at May 8 and it will spread to May 26. The ships also got a flyover from the French Marine nationale E-2C and Rafale aircraft.

“Hight-end, multi domain exercises like FOSH-23 demonstrate the strengthof the NATO Alliance and our unwavering commitment to working alongside one another in pursuit of common interests,” explained the NATO Press Office. “Exercise Formidable Shield 2023 demonstrates Allied interoperability in a joint live-fire, Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) environment, using NATO command and control reporting structures,” NATO added. “Allied nations practice, demonstrate, and assess their ability to share common tactical pictures, share situational awareness, conduct NATO-level mission planning and engagement coordination, and exercise force-level pre-planned responses.”

This exercise is a biennial integrated air and missile defense exercise, taking place from May 8 to May 26, 2023, involving a series of live-fire events against subsonic and supersonic targets, incorporating multiple Allied ships, aircraft, and ground forces working across battlespaces to deliver effects.

From Spain, the frigate Blas de Lezo continues to function as a command ship. On the afternoon of May 19, the frigate engaged in a supersonic aerial wave-robber target at the firing range in the Hebrides, Scotland, using a medium-range anti-aircraft missile, SM-2. This event is part of the Formidable Shield 23 activity, in which the frigate Blas de Lezo and the supply ship Patiño participate together with other Allied navies.

The frigate Blas de Lezo continues to function as a command ship, with the staff directing the FOSH-23 activity on board, until the end of May. This is the second time in a row that a Spanish frigate has acted as the command ship for the Formidable Shield activity. FOSH-23 constitutes advanced training of great value for the endowments of the units involved, as it allows the launch of missiles in a dense electromagnetic environment similar to that of high-intensity confrontations, acting at the same time as a command ship .

The ship's crew has successfully applied the anti-missile defense procedure of the units of the 31st Squadron, being able to face a target with a speed greater than that of sound spray. The agile and efficient response of the ship, with its Aegis combat system, to this type of threat is another example of the robust force protection provided by the Navy escorts. On this occasion they have also launched anti-aircraft missiles against these white frigates and destroyers from Italy, the Netherlands and France.