The 29-country group has upped its submarine tracking capabilities as the organisation and Russia aid sides in the current conflict in Syria.
Captain Jim McCall, a commander of the far wing the USS George H W Bush, said: “It is an indication of the changing dynamic in the world that a skill set, maybe we didn’t spend a lot of time on in the last 15 years, is coming back.”
The proxy war has seen NATO keep tabs on submarines like the Russian Krasnodar where it has targeted ISIS with missiles fired at Syria.
In May, a Dutch frigate spotted the stealth sub and posted a picture on social media.
The Russian vehicle of peace left the Baltic Sea in May and travelled towards the eastern Mediterranean, according to the Wall Street Journal.
While waging a war against terror, the attack submarine was monitored by the USS Bush, a move that marked the start of a game of cat and mouse between the two global superpowers.
In addition to the US Bush, Washington also sent helicopters in search of the Russian vehicle in a series of anti-sub patrols that took place over the summer.
The US emphasis on knowing the movements of the Krasnodar stem from the advanced noise-reducing capabilities the submarine possesses that has Washington scrambling the seas.
US Navy Captain, Bill Ellis, stated: “One small submarine has the ability to threaten a large capital asset like an aircraft carrier.”
The war in Syria has played a key role in Vladimir Putin’s new naval initiative to rapidly develop submarines and Russia’s drive to eliminate ISIS from the region has provoked a US counter-response.
In order to keep up with the stealthy developments of submarines like the Krasnodar, Washington has poured resources into creating new tracking measures to keep pace with Putin.
Commander Edward Fossati, the man responsible for overseeing the USS Bush’s anti-submarine helicopters, said: “We are much better at it than we were 20 years ago.”
US Navy Admiral, Michelle Howard, has stated that Russia’s current naval repertoire exceeds what was seen during the Cold War.
He said: “We’re seeing activity that we didn’t even see when it was the Soviet Union. It’s precedential activity.”