Standing NATO Maritime Group 1

Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) is one of NATO's standing naval maritime immediate reaction forces. SNMG1 consists of four to six destroyers and frigates. Its role is to provide NATO with an immediate operational response capability.[1]

Standing NATO Maritime Group 1
Active1968–present
AllegianceNATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Commanders
Current
commander
Rear Admiral Thorsten Marx, German Navy
SNMG1 per 13 August 2007 in formation. From left to right:
NRP Álvares Cabral - Portugal
HMCS Toronto - Canada
USS Normandy - United States
Spessart - Germany
HNLMS Evertsen - Netherlands
HDMS Olfert Fischer - Denmark

History

In late November 1966, U.S. Rear Admiral Richard G. Colbert prepared a concept paper proposing a permanent Allied Command Atlantic naval contingency force based on Operation Matchmaker, an annual six-month exercise involving ships from NATO navies. The proposed contingency force was approved by NATO in December 1967 and activated in January 1968 as Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT).[2][3]

During the 1990s, STANAVFORLANT was heavily involved in Operation Maritime Monitor (July 1992 to November 1992), Operation Maritime Guard (November 1992 to June 1993) and Operation Sharp Guard (June 1993 to October 1996), the maritime embargo operations in the Adriatic Sea established to ensure compliance by Serbia and Montenegro with United Nations (UN) resolutions 713, 715, 787, 820 and 943. Between November 1992 and June 1996 some 74,000 ships were challenged, almost 6,000 were inspected at sea and more than 1,400 were diverted and inspected in port.[4]

The force was under the operational control of SACLANT until SACLANT was decommissioned in 2003 and it was folded into NATO's Allied Command Operations (ACO) at that time.[5]

The force was re-designated Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 in January 2005.[6]

In September 2007, SNMG1 was in the Red Sea bound for Suez to complete a circumnavigation of Africa when the Jabal al-Tair volcano erupted. SNMG1 ships assisted the Yemeni coast guard in the recovery of their military personnel stationed on the island.[7]

From March 2009 to June 2009 SNMG1 was deployed by NATO off the Somali coast to conduct Operation Allied Protector, to deter, defend and protect World Food Programme (WFP) vessels against the threat of piracy and armed robbery, thereby allowing WFP to fulfill its mission of providing humanitarian aid.[8]

Since August 2009, SNMG1 has been providing ships for NATO's Operation Ocean Shield anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden.[9]

On 23–25 March 2012 the group conducted a passing exercise with Carrier Strike Group Twelve, led by USS Enterprise, while carrying out Operation Active Endeavor missions in the Mediterranean Sea.[10] The group's commander, Commodore Ben Bekkering, Royal Netherlands Navy visited Enterprise.[11] At the time the group consisted of the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate De Ruyter, the Spanish Navy frigate Álvaro de Bazán, the German Navy frigate Rheinland-Pfalz, and the Royal Canadian Navy frigate Charlottetown.[12]

Otto Sverdrup and D. Francisco de Almeida during a visit to London in December 2017; both were attached to SNMG1

In November 2018, HNoMS Helge Ingstad was operating with SNMG1 when she was involved in a collision with a Maltese flagged tanker and had to be deliberately run aground to prevent her sinking. The remainder of SNMG1 stood by to provide assistance.[13]

During 2021, SNMG1 was active in the region of the Baltic Sea for 12 days.[14]

Current ships

As of 8 January 2023, SNMG1 consists of:[15][16]

  Previous flagship
  Current flagship

Ships in bold are currently part of the naval force

Year Commander Ship Type Part of task force Flagship
2023
Netherlands
Commodore
Jeanette Morang
(January 1 – January 6)
Germany
Rear-Admiral
Thorsten Marx
(January 6 – ongoing)
Netherlands HNLMS Tromp De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate September 19 – ongoing September 19 – ongoing
Germany FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Brandenburg-class frigate January 6 – ongoing n/a
Poland ORP Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate January 6 – ongoing n/a

Previous task groups

In 2022, SNMG1 consisted of:[15][16]

  Previous flagship
  Current flagship

Ships in bold are currently part of the naval force

Year Commander Ship Type Part of task force Flagship
2022
Netherlands
Commodore
Ad van de Sande
(January 7 – July 8)
Netherlands
Commodore
Jeanette Morang
(July 8 – ongoing)
Netherlands HNLMS Rotterdam[17] Rotterdam-class amphibious transport dock January 7 – February 4 January 7 - February 4
Denmark HDMS Peter Willemoes[18] Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate January 15 – April n/a
United Kingdom HMS Kent Duke-class frigate January 24 – February 4 n/a
Germany FGS Berlin Berlin-class replenishment ship February 4 – April February 4 – April 6
Netherlands HNLMS Van Amstel Karel Doorman-class frigate February 7 – March n/a
Germany FGS Erfurt Braunschweig-class corvette March 2 – May n/a
Netherlands HNLMS De Zeven Provincien De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate March 10 – July April 6 - July
United Kingdom HMS Northumberland Duke-class frigate March – April 20 n/a
France FS Languedoc Aquitaine-class destroyer March – April n/a
France FS Dixmude Mistral-class amphibious assault ship March – April n/a
France FS Latouche-Tréville Georges Leygues-class destroyer March – May n/a
Canada HMCS Halifax Halifax-class frigate April 18 – July n/a
Germany FGS Spessart Rhön-class replenishment oiler April – August 4 n/a
Netherlands HNLMS Karel Doorman Joint support ship May 8 – September 23 July 8 – September 19
Portugal NRP Corte-Real Vasco da Gama-class frigate May 27 – September 14 n/a
Germany FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Brandenburg-class frigate May 30 – July 15 n/a
United Kingdom HMS Portland Duke-class frigate June 15 – August 4 n/a
Norway HNoMS Roald Amundsen Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate August 9 – November / December n/a
Norway HNoMS Maud Replenishment oiler August 29 – November / December n/a
United Kingdom HMS Lancaster Duke-class frigate August 29 – October 6 n/a
Germany FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Brandenburg-class frigate September 10 – October 11 n/a
Netherlands HNLMS Tromp De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate September 19 – ongoing September 19 – ongoing
France FS Ducuing D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso September 24 – October n/a
Denmark HDMS Esbern Snare Absalon-class frigate October 26 – November / December n/a

In 2021, SNMG1 consisted of:[15]

  Was a flagship at any time during its deployment
Year Commander Ship Type Part of task force Flagship
2021[16] Canada
Commodore
Bradley Peats
Canada HMCS Halifax Frigate January 18 – April 12
May 19 – July 10
January 18 – April 12
May 19 – July 10
Denmark HDMS Absalon Frigate March 25 – June 18 April 12 – May 19
United Kingdom HMS Lancaster Frigate March n/a
United Kingdom HMS Westminster Frigate March n/a
United Kingdom RFA Tiderace Replenishment Oiler March n/a
France FS Bretagne Destroyer May 7 – May 14
November 22 – December 15
n/a
France FS Normandie Destroyer May 21 – May 30
September 22 – September 29
n/a
Norway HNoMS Storm Corvette June 6 – June 18 n/a
Norway HNoMS Gnist Corvette June 6 – June 18 n/a
France FS Commandant Blaison OPV June 6 – June 18 n/a
Canada HMCS Fredericton Frigate August 2 – October 5
October 17 – December 15
August 2 – October 5
October 30 – December 15
Portugal NRP Corte-Real Frigate August 25 – December 15 n/a
Netherlands HNLMS Van Amstel Frigate September 6 – December 15 n/a
Norway HNoMS Maud Replenishment Oiler September 6 – December 3 n/a
Spain ESPS Almirante Juan de Borbón Frigate September 16 – October 30 October 5 – October 30
Belgium BNS Leopold I Frigate October 9 – October 29 n/a

During this deployment, SNMG1 took part in numerous exercises including:

Organization

SNMG1 is a component of the NATO Response Force (NRF).[1]

See also

References

  1. "Maritime Groups". NATO. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  2. Hattendorf, John B. (Summer 2008), "Admiral Richard G. Colbert: Pioneer in Building Global Maritime Partnerships" (PDF), Naval War College Review, vol. 61, no. 3
  3. See also, John B. Hattendorf, “NATO’s Policeman on the Beat: The First Twenty-Years of the Standing Naval Force, Atlantic, 1968-1988,” in: John B. Hattendorf, Naval History and Maritime Strategy: Collected Essays. (Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing, 2000), pp. 187-200.
  4. "Operation Sharp Guard". NATO. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  5. "New NATO Transformation Command Established in Norfolk". American Forces Press Service. United States Department of Defense. 19 June 2003. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  6. Bekkevold, Jo Inge; Till, Geoffrey (2016). International Order at Sea: How it is challenged. How it is maintained. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 136. ISBN 978-1137586629.
  7. "NATO Press Release(2007)097". www.nato.int.
  8. Counter-piracy Operations. North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Retrieved: 27 December 2013.
  9. Operation Ocean Shield Archived 2011-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
  10. "SNMG1 in PASSEX with US Carrier Group". Allied Command Operations. NATO. March 26, 2012. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
  11. "Enterprise Hosts Commander, Standing NATO Maritime Group 1". NNS120326-04. Enterprise Carrier Strike Group Public Affairs. March 26, 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
  12. "Enterprise Hosts Commander, Standing NATO Maritime Group 1". US Navy. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  13. "Allied Maritime Command - SNMG1 ship accident at sea". mc.nato.int.
  14. "BALTOPS 50 Comes to a Close". sfn.nato.int.
  15. "Allied Maritime Command - Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1)". mc.nato.int.
  16. SNMG1, Commander. "SNMG1 Twitter". SNMG1 Twitter. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  17. "Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1)". NATO. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  18. "Danish Frigate HDMS Peter Willemoes and F-16 Fighting Falcons to Reinforce NATO Forces". Military Leaks. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  19. "SNMG1 participates in the Norwegian exercise TG 21-1". mc.nato.int.
  20. "NATO exercise Dynamic Guard underway in Norway". mc.nato.int.
  21. "NATO ships train in exercise Joint Warrior 21-1 with UK Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group". mc.nato.int.
  22. "Exercise Steadfast Defender 2021 to test NATO readiness and military mobility". mc.nato.int.
  23. "NATO Exercise Dynamic Mongoose 21 Underway in High North". mc.nato.int.
  24. "NATO Exercise Dynamic Mariner and Joint Warrior Begins in the Atlantic". mc.nato.int.
  25. Vavasseur, Xavier (November 19, 2021). "Royal Norwegian Navy Kicked Off FLOTEX 21 Exercise".
  26. NATO. "NATO exercises with new maritime unmanned systems". NATO. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
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