A "Royal" Cluster...

It's been three years since the last one, so it's time for another "Sorbet Royal" submarine rescue exercise! Honestly, these things are a really good idea (countries from all over the world going through submarine rescue procedures) but man... are they ever a pain in the ass. This year, for the first time, we've got Russia, the Ukraine, and Israel (!) joining in the NATO exercise; expect even more fireworks (although they probably won't make the open press too much).

Anyway, here's the Sorbet Royal home page, if you'd like to learn more. These things are normally held every three years (although the 1999 one was postponed for a year due to an earthquake in Turkey) which means that there's no one left on any command staff from the previous one. In the Pacific, they have them every two years, under the moniker "Pacific Reach".

Anyone with amusing submarine rescue exercise stories is invited to start filling the comments...
Going deep...

Update 1629 18 June: Here's more on the Israeli participation in the exercise.