Leavenworth Strategist

NATO ships in new anti-piracy mission (Allied Protector)

BRUSSELS (AFP) — NATO warships will be in position next week to conduct a new anti-piracy operation in a major world shipping area off the coast of Somalia, the alliance's chief spokesman said Wednesday.

"NATO ambassadors have now approved the operational plan for the deployment of the standing naval maritime group one to conduct counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia," spokesman James Appathurai told reporters.

He said that seven ships -- one each from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain, with two vessels from Germany -- would exit the Suez Canal on March 19...

NATO ships in Black Sea on routine visit, unrelated to Georgia crisis

NATO Press Release, 28 Aug 08- The Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1), a group of NATO warships, conducts routine port visits and exercises with NATO member nations bordering the Black Sea since 21 August.

This deployment is routine in nature and has been planned for over a year, notification of the requirement to transit the Turkish Straits was given in June well before the current Georgia crisis and is completely unrelated. In accordance with the terms of the Montreux Convention, the ships will stay no longer than 21 days in the Black Sea. 

SNMG 1 currently comprises the Spanish SPS Adm Juan de Borbon, the German, FGS Luebeck and the Polish, ORP General K Pulaski and the US frigate, USS Taylor.

Germany Hands Bosnian Peacekeeping Reins to Spain

05.12.2007 (Deutsche Welle)

Germany handed command of the EU peacekeeping mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina over to Spain. The EU will maintain its involvement in the region as long as necessary, said top officials.

In an official ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 4, German Rear Admiral Hans-Jochen Witthauer, head of the EUFOR mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina since December 2006, passed the baton to Major General Ignacio Martin Villalain of Spain.