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NATO task group led by Commander Juan Jose Izquierdo (ESP N) on board flagship frigate ESPS Reina Sofia departed from Rota Naval Base to patrol the Western Mediterranean Sea as part of NATO’s Operation Sea Guardian (OSG). A submarine from Italy, air units from Canada, Portugal, Spain and other NATO naval units while transiting in the region will support the…
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Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) arrived in her new homeport of Naval Station Rota, Spain, as the U.S. Navy’s newest Forward Deployed Naval Forces–Europe (FDNF-E) destroyer, June 17, 2022. Prior to arriving in Rota, Paul Ignatius operated alongside British, Canadian, French, German, and Norwegian allies as part of exercises Cable Car and Green Light. The ship also…
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NATO task group led by Commander Juan Jose Izquierdo (ESP N) on board flagship frigate ESPS Reina Sofia departed from Rota Naval Base June 20th to patrol the Western Mediterranean Sea as part of NATO’s Operation Sea Guardian (OSG). A submarine from Italy, air units from Canada, Portugal, Spain and other NATO naval units while transiting in the region will…
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Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG2) commemorated 40 years since Spain joined NATO while underway in the Mediterranean Sea, May 30. Spain joined NATO on May 30, 1982, becoming the 16th nation to join the Alliance. SNMCMG2 currently comprises flagship ESPS Meteoro (P41) and FGS Bad Rappenau (M1067). Under the command of Spanish Navy Captain Javier Nuñez de Prado,…
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The crews of the ‘Blas de Lezo’ and the ‘Cantabria’, integrated into the Permanent Grouping of NATO No. 2, under the operational control of the Operations Command, are scheduled to call, on June 10, in the port of Malaga along with the Canadian frigate ‘Montreal’. An entry into port before beginning its participation as SNMG-2 in the Navy exercise FLOTEX-22.…
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NATO’s maritime task group concluded its third round of focused patrols in the Western Mediterranean Sea as part of NATO’s Operation Sea Guardian (OSG) on May 12. Led by NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) in Northwood, OSG is a fusion of information designed to create a comprehensive picture of daily activities in the Mediterranean. OSG units comprised flagship Italian Navy…
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Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG2) joined the Spanish Navy’s major annual mine warfare exercise, SPANISH MINEX-22, in Balearic Islands, Spain, April 25 to May 6. Under the command of Spanish Navy Captain Javier Nuñez de Prado, SNMCMG2 comprises ESPS Meteoro (Flagships) and four mine countermeasures vessels: FGS Bad Rappenau (Germany), ITS Numana (Italy) HS Evropi (Greece) and FS…
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NATO is conducting vigilance activity NEPTUNE SHIELD 2022 (NESH22), which integrates high-end maritime expeditionary strike capabilities of Sea, Air and Land assets. The activities will take place in the Baltic, Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas, from 17-31 May. In support of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum and Allied Joint Force Command Naples, NESH 22 is the execution phase of a long…
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The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Spain of MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopters with Support and related equipment for an estimated cost of $950 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale March 15, 2022. The Department of State has approved the possible…
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On the sandy “playas” of Spain’s Atlantic coast, halfway between its border with Portugal to the northwest and the vital Gibraltar Strait and Mediterranean Sea to the southeast, lies the largest American military community in the country – Naval Station Rota. The 6,100-acre Spanish-owned installation was constructed in 1953 and is home to about 35 tenant commands drawing an estimated…
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