Norwegian-led NATO force completed anti-terrorist exercise in the Mediterranean

NavyIllustration.Navy.Photo: wikimedia.org

Norwegian-led ‘Status NATO Maritime Group 1’ (SNMG1) have completed their patrol in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea. One of the goals was to prevent terrorism.

 

According to NATO’s web page, SNMG1 consists of a total of five ships from Norway, Canada, Portugal, Germany, and Spain. The ships will now return to operations again in the Atlantic, North Sea, and Baltic Sea.

During the mission in the Mediterranean, SNMG1 had received assistance from ships from the Netherlands and Denmark, as well as maritime patrol flights from Spain, France, and Portugal.

In addition to participating in ‘Sea Guardian’ operation, SNMG1 also conducted port visits in Algiers, and joint training exercises with Algerian and Moroccan naval vessels as part of NATO’s so-called ‘Mediterranean Dialogue’.

‘The aim of the operation (Sea Guardian), together with relevant Mediterranean allies, is to deter, and counter terrorism, and reduce the risk of other security threats in the Mediterranean,’ said flag commander, Petter Kammerhuber, chief executive officer of SNMG1.

According to a press release, the Norwegian-led NATO force had gathered information about maritime activities in the international waters of the Western Mediterranean, from Gibraltar to the Sardinian and Algerian Strait, in connection with the Sea Guardian.

While the Sea Guardian was a maritime operation that was intended to deter terrorism, the point of the so-called Mediterranean Dialogue was to contribute to the security and stability of the Mediterranean region.

‘The Mediterranean cooperation reflects the Alliance’s view that security in Europe is closely linked to security and stability in the Mediterranean,’ said Kammerhuber.

 

©  NTB Scanpix / Norway Today