United States European Command
October 2, 2013
Protectors on deck
“From the Cockpit”
Phil Breedlove
General, USAF
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Commander, U.S. European Command
This week I had the distinct pleasure to stand alongside my fellow military and civilian NATO leaders on the deck of the ITS Cavour to observe its highly trained crew demonstrating their remarkable capabilities. The Italian aircraft carrier, equipped with modern technology typical of today’s warships, manoeuvred deftly off the coast of Sardinia, Italy, along with 22 other ships as part of exercise Brilliant Mariner 13. This large scale exercise began on Sept. 23 and includes a total of 13 allies testing capabilities such as replenishment at sea, medical evacuation and vessel boarding as well as air defense and anti-surface naval artillery.
Brilliant Mariner 13 will conclude on Oct. 6 having played an important role in certifying the Italian Navy’s capacity to lead the maritime component of the NATO Response Force. The NRF, with air, land and sea components from multiple nations must be certified and ready to respond rapidly when called. Exercise Steadfast Jazz in November will serve as the final part of the certification of this joint and combined force.
The history of this Alliance is a story of combined strength and this will not change as we move forward into the future. During the Libyan crisis one of NATO’s first responses was to project maritime power with more than 20 Allied warships sent to the region, within days of the launch of Operation Unified Protector. Not only did these ships enforce an arms embargo along an 800 kilometer coastline but they also prevented the Libyan navy from leaving their ports and used naval gun fire against the Libyan Regime troops on shore.
Although Operation Unified Protector was very successful, like any mission it yielded lessons learned and identified areas in which the Allied navies could enhance cooperation and improve capabilities. Exercises like Brilliant Mariner and the upcoming maritime component of Steadfast Jazz next month provide the perfect venues to train in these areas.
Although exercises are vital to readiness, NATO’s naval forces do much more than prepare for action. They conduct real world missions every day, most prominently in the Mediterranean with Operation Active Endeavour and off the east coast of Africa with Operation Ocean Shield . With four standing maritime fleets, NATO maintains the ability to project and sustain naval power just about anywhere it might be needed.
To watch over this vast and critical part of our military force, I count on our team at the Allied Maritime Command Headquarters, or MARCOM, in Northwood, United Kingdom, under the able command of Royal Navy Vice Admiral Peter Hudson, who serves as the prime maritime advisor to the Alliance. With just over 300 officers, petty officers and civilians, MARCOM provides command and control for the full spectrum of joint maritime operations and tasks. This is a tremendous responsibility especially in NATO’s current complex and demanding maritime environments.
Over the past decade, piracy on the high seas has cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars and presented a vexing threat to commerce and travel in many areas in the world. One of the toughest was off the coast of Somalia. But due in part to the efforts of NATO’s Operation Ocean Shield in partnership with other nations as well as private industry, this threat has dropped precipitously. The need to remain engaged will continue for some time however, as many of the root causes that led to the problem of piracy still remain and could remerge if we let our guard down too quickly.
Building these partnerships between NATO as well as non-NATO maritime forces is a principle function of MARCOM. To this end, through Standing NATO Maritime Group ONE, under the command of Norwegian Commodore Henning Amundsen, MARCOM has worked closely with independent deployers from China, Russia and Japan as part of the shared international effort to maintain security in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin.
Operation Active Endeavor is NATO’s other major ongoing maritime mission. It is also the result of NATO’s first-ever invocation of Article V of the Washington Treaty, the clause that governs the Alliance’s collective defence, following the attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001.
Operation Active Endeavor is a maritime surveillance operation led by NATO’s naval forces to detect, deter and protect against terrorist activity in the Mediterranean through monitoring, patrolling, escorting and compliant boarding. Many non-NATO partner countries have also contributed to OAE in support of NATO’s operational activities…Now, under the command of Spanish Navy Rear Admiral Diaz Del Rio, Standing NATO Maritime Group ONE is currently deployed in support of OAE.
I am extremely proud to lead these extraordinary warriors of the sea and to help guide the most connected multi-national naval force the world has ever known. But whether we are conducting real world operations or exercises, we in NATO are never complacent. We are constantly learning and will continuously strive to improve.
So we will continue to have exercises beyond Brilliant Mariner and Steadfast Jazz that will test our forces with a broader array of realistic and taxing scenarios that cover the full range of Alliance missions. Also, I will continue to encourage our Allies to make the necessary investments in their people and their equipment that will keep the Alliance ready and capable for any threat. Taking these prudent steps will enable us to continue to secure our future together.
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