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Noble Dina 2014

Greek, Israeli, and US military personnel are meeting in Crete, Tuesday to kick off Noble Dina 2014, a two-week, trilateral exercise in the Mediterranean Sea.

This year’s annual multimission drill, the fourth conducted by the three
nations, will involve hundreds of military personnel deployed on advanced
surface ships, air assets and submarines, Navy sources here said.

In addition to search and rescue, sea maneuvering, anti-submarine warfare
(ASW) and coordinated command-and- control missions, which have been
practiced in previous years, Noble Dina 2014 will feature undersea divers
and other specialists deployed for joint port protection.

The Israel Navy’s Snapir Unit, a relatively new and highly specialized force
trained for persistent surface and underwater port security, will support
the newest element of the drill scheduled for later this week at a Cretan
port.

“This is something new that reflects common, critically important
operational requirements,” said Rear Adm. Yaron Levi, chief of staff of the
Israel Navy.

Noble Dina, sources here said, is the result of routine cooperation among
the three navies and many months of focused planning.

“It’s a long, complex and extremely substantive exercise aimed at enhancing the already significant coordination and interoperability among the three navies,” said Levi.

Israel’s contingent for the trilateral drill set sail Monday morning for the
24-hour trip to Crete, where it will join counterparts and other assets from
Greece and the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet, based in Naples, Italy.

It includes a Dolphin-class submarine, a Sa’ar-5 Corvette-class ship, two Sa’ar 4.5 missile boats and ASW capabilities in addition to the Snapir Unit.