NATO – SeaWaves – the BEST naval news since 1995

The Origins of NATO

November 18, 2019 seawaves

This December, the world will watch as heads of state and government and military leaders gather at the NorthAtlantic Treaty Organization’s Leaders’ Meeting in London. With the commemoration of the Alliance’s 70th anniversary, this past year has served to honor NATO’s achievements. To round off this historic year, the NATO Leaders’ Meeting in December presents an important opportunity to jointly assess challenges and opportunities and highlight NATO’s enduring value as it adapts to a changing world. Building on the success of NATO Engages Brussels 2018 and NATO Engages Washington, DC…

German Defense Budget Promises 10,000 Computers; Vague on Other Areas

November 18, 2019 seawaves

November 7, 2019 (Google Translation) – The Budget Committee of the German Bundestag yesterday approved the Defense Budget 2020. Once again, the German Armed Forces can expect more money and thus advance important projects next year. According to the decision of the Committee on Budgets, the defense budget is set to increase by 4.2 per cent compared with this year’s budget, ie by around € 1.8bn to a total of € 45.1bn. The main reason for the increase in the defense budget is the strengthening of military spending, material preservation,…

Kiel Mine Search Squadron Opens “Showroom Mine Defense”

November 13, 2019 seawaves

November 8, 2019 (Google Translation) – On Wednesday, the 13th of November 2019 at 10 o’clock, the Kiel-based 3.Minensuchgeschwader opens a permanent “showroom mine defense” in the naval base in the Wik. The squadron’s visitor center moves into the officers’ home of the base and will be open to the public from 21 November 2019. From the operation “Südflanke” in the Persian Gulf 1990/1991 to today’s Baltic Sea maneuvers such as “Northern Coasts”, the German mines are in action and explain from now on, what is important in the mine…

Van Speijk Home From Three Months With SNMG1

November 13, 2019 seawaves

November 12, 2019 (Google Translation) – HNLMS Van Speijk returned to Den Helder this morning. The navy ship has been participating in the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) for the past 3 months. That is 1 of the 4 permanent maritime reaction forces of NATO. The fleet group practiced along the American east coast in September, after which it made the crossing to Spain in early October. The squadron participated in the large NATO exercise Dynamic Mariner. De Van Speijk was involved in, among other things, submarine control, one…

Secretary General: NATO is the bedrock of European and transatlantic security

November 7, 2019 seawaves

November 7, 2019 – Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg delivered remarks at the Körber Global Leaders Dialogue in Berlin on Thursday (7 November 2019), stressing the importance of NATO as the bedrock of European and transatlantic security. Speaking two days before the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, he said: “The bond between Europe and North America made it possible to reintegrate Germany into the European and international community, to end the Cold War without a shot being fired, and to create the conditions for European integration.”

NATO ships test next generation of electronic warfare defences

October 31, 2019 seawaves

October 31, 2019 – Thirteen NATO countries are taking part in simulated air and missile defence drills off the United Kingdom’s southern coast from Thursday (31 October 2019). The 6-day Naval Electro Magnetic Operations – or “NEMO” – trials will test how allied navies can defend themselves against anti-ship cruise and hypersonic missiles using state-of-the-art electronic defences. “NEMO 19 shows how Allies are working together to protect NATO forces from the threat of cruise and hypersonic missiles,” said NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu. “This is NATO’s largest maritime electronic warfare exercise…

NATO Ships Work with Military Sealift Command

October 23, 2019 seawaves

October 18, 2019 – Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) forces conduct multiple replenishments-at-sea alongside Military Sealift Command (MSC) ships as the group has operations in the Atlantic Ocean. SNMG1 forces worked with the Henry J. Kaiser-class underway replenishment oiler USNS Patuxent (T-AO 20) and the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Robert E. Peary (T-AKE 5) on multiple occasions to receive supplies, stores and fuel while at sea. “As NATO maritime forces continue to adapt to meet modern challenges, our logistics must also evolve to support our mission…

NATO Allied Nations Complete Dynamic Mariner 2019

October 23, 2019 seawaves

October 18, 2019 – 18 Allied nations participated in the NATO Maritime Command’s exercise Dynamic Mariner 2019 off the coast of Spain Oct. 8 through Oct. 18. The exercise brought together 32 surface ships, 2 submarines and 18 aircraft, and enabled participants to train together across all maritime warfare areas. While NATO Maritime Command sponsored and evaluated the exercise, the Spanish Maritime Force Commander exercised operational control of all forces, acting as the Maritime Component Commander in a simulated NATO Response Force (NRF) operation. “Dynamic Mariner was a tremendous effort…

Romania-U.S. Partnership Deters Russian Aggression

October 10, 2019November 1, 2019 seawaves

October 8, 2019 – The relationship between the United States and Romania has never been more important. The United States, Romania and 17 other countries recently conducted the 19th annual Sea Breeze, multinational maritime naval exercises held in Ukraine. More than 3,000 personnel, 32 warships, and 24 aircraft participated in the exercises, which were co-hosted by the U.S. and Romania. Our Sea Breeze exercises strengthen the military cooperation between Romania and the U.S. as we protect maritime security in the critical Black Sea region. During the Sea Breeze exercise, the…

Rand Study: Russia, NATO, and Black Sea Security Strategy

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 seawaves

Eighteen NATO countries take part in the Dynamic Mariner/Flotex-19

October 7, 2019 seawaves

October 7, 2019 – More than 4,500 military personnel from eighteen countries take part from today until the 18th in the exercise of NATO Dynamic Mariner / Flotex-19, which aims to prepare to respond to the crisis situations in the maritime field that the Atlantic Alliance needs . This training, in which 26 surface vessels, two submarines and 21 aircraft from 12 countries will participate, will take place mainly in waters near the Spanish south coast. In addition, the Dynamic Mariner / Flotex-19 exercise will be part of the process…

Franco-Estonian counter-mining operation in the Baltic Sea

October 4, 2019 seawaves

October 3, 2019 (Google Translation) – After participating in a Baltic Sea NATO exercise aimed at enhancing Allied interoperability while contributing to Alliance assurance measures in this region, the Southern Cross mine-fighter building conducted a bilateral co-operation action with the Estonian Navy from 23 to 25 September. On this occasion, an Estonian liaison officer boarded three days on board. The purpose of this cooperation was twofold: the research and the neutralization of any mine identified. A mine dating from the First World War was discovered and destroyed by the crew…

Baltic Beckons for Minehunter HMS Cattistock

October 4, 2019 seawaves

October 3, 2019 – Off on a whistle-stop NATO assignment around the ports and inlets of the eastern Baltic for the next seven weeks is minehunter HMS Cattistock. The veteran Hunt-class ship departed not her native Portsmouth, but the less-familiar surroundings of Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde after completing a demanding month of pre-deployment training. She’ll make her way eastwards over the next week before linking up with Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 1, the NATO force dedicated to keeping the waters of northern Europe free of mines and historic ordnance.…

FS La Motte-Picquet & Croix du Sud in Exercise Northern Coasts 2019

October 2, 2019 seawaves

September 27, 2019 (Google Translation) – For almost two weeks, from 6 to 18 September 2019, the Allied navies trained in the Baltic Sea as part of a scenario created from scratch. The Task Force 356 was established as part of the year “NOCO19” Northern Coasts 2019 . The international exercise was organized by Germany and brought together allied countries of the zone (Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden). The aim was twofold: to operate as a task force set up in a…

Dubrovnik Returns From Operation Sea Guardian

September 23, 2019 seawaves

September 19, 2019 (Google Translation) – The formal homecoming ceremony for the 2nd HRVCON was held on 20 September 2019, within the ceremony marking the 28th anniversary of the establishment of the Croatian Navy in the port of Gruž in Dubrovnik. The crew and the Missile Boat RTOP 42 “Dubrovnik” were deployed to the Operation Sea Guardian on 30 August 2019, as Croatian contribution to the allied efforts to provide security at sea and build maritime situational awareness and develop maritime security. The Missile Boat Dubrovnik was assigned an area…