Exercise Red Epoch, 1957

The Canadian NATO Delegation in Paris sent a correspondence to External Affairs (Ottawa) on October 29th, 1957 regarding Exercise Red Epoch which was scheduled to take place in the Ionian and Aegan seas the following week. A day earlier the Norwegian Permanent Representative expressed concern about the timing of the exercise since the Syrian Foreign Ministry regarded the Exercise as a Turkish attempt to “hide plans for military action against Syria” [CDEX00403]. The UK Representative reiterated this worry by sending a Syrian newspaper that claimed “Turkey may attack her in the course of NATO Exercises” [CDEX00404]. NATO headquarters did not receive such concerns directly from the Syrian government and had to rely on Member States bringing forward these concerns. Nevertheless, NATO needed to coordinate a unified response: they decided against including any air force over the Turkish mainland in the Exercise and they emphasized that all press queries ought to “stress the routine training nature of the exercise” [CDEX00403]. After these arrangements were made, Red Epoch concluded without any additional roadblocks. 

Regarding political tensions in the Middle East exacerbated by NATO exercises, the DEA’s Middle Eastern Division suggested that “it would be wise for the Department to have full knowledge of maneuvers in the Mediterranean” and provide a NATO press release that ought to “allay any suspicions” [CDEX00434]. A.P. Sherwood of the DEA’s Defence Liaison Division responded to these suggestions, noting that “the problem raised . . . is not a new one, and it appears doubtful that the mere publicizing of NATO maneuvers would do much to allay any fears [of] sensitive Middle Eastern countries” [CDEX00438]. Rather than solely focusing on domestic repercussions for NATO countries and the Soviet bloc, it proposed that the term "political implications" should encompass concerns for NATO as a whole [CDEX00444, CDEX00446]. This recognizes that NATO had developed its own distinct identity, transcending the individual national identities of its member countries, which required a coordinated response to political issues. 

In the fall of 1959, concerns of NATO exercises escalating fear in the Middle East persisted. As NATO geared up for Exercise Crescent Mace in the Mediterranean, Canadian diplomats expressed apprehension to NATO headquarters. They highlighted the proximity of the exercise – just 20 nautical miles from non-NATO territory – coupled with recent ship seizures by Middle Eastern states. Canadian officials proposed that NATO stress the routine nature of the exercise and assure that it would not encroach upon national territories. [CDEX00549] However, the Standing Group contended that any additional commentary in the press release might fuel suspicion rather than allay it. Despite the Canadian objection, the Standing Group prevailed in their decision. Ultimately, Exercise Crescent Mace did not attract negative press attention, and no reports of adverse repercussions surfaced [CDEX00552].