Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) is scheduled to arrive in Stockholm today for a port visit.

This port visit is a valuable opportunity to re-supply and for SNMG1 to work together with Sweden to enhance interoperability between partner nations. SNMG1 is currently deployed to the Baltic Sea to “provide assurance to Allies and deter and defend against threats from any direction”.

“SNMG1 flagship HNLMS De Zeven ProvinciĆ«n (F802) (The Netherlands), FGS Erfurt (F262) (Germany), HMCS Halifax (FFH 330) (Canada), and FGS Spessart (A1442) (Germany) will join in Stockholm for the port visit. Currently, SNMG1 also comprises FS Latouche-TrĆ©ville (D646) (France), which will stay at sea for operations.

Prior to the port visit, SNMG1 conducted a close-air-support exercise (CASEX) with a Swedish Navy submarine in the Baltic Sea. The group trained in anti-submarine warfare, which included fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter operations, and defensive procedures while entering and leaving port.”

This comes after Sweden made moves to join NATO. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced both Sweden and Finland to review long-held beliefs on military neutrality with both countries expected to make a decision in the coming few weeks, read more here.

“NATO gains from Swedenā€™s insights and operational expertise, and I appreciate the high-level training we regularly conduct with the Swedish Navy,” Commander SNMG1 Commodore A. van de Sande said.

After departure from Stockholm, NATO say that SNMC1 is scheduled to conduct another at-sea exercise with a Swedish Patrol Vessel. Sweden is a close NATO partner, and passing exercises like this are valuable opportunities to work together and build interoperability. NATO values its close partnership with Sweden.

“The Baltic Sea region is of great strategic importance to all bordering nations. Cooperation in the Baltic Sea is of particular interest for NATO, as six Allied nations border the Baltic Sea. NATO deployed maritime forces in the Baltic Sea in order to maintain a credible and capable defensive capability in accordance with treaty obligations.

SNMG1 operates under NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM). Headquartered in Northwood, MARCOM is the central command of all NATO maritime forces and the MARCOM Commander is the primary maritime advisor to the Alliance. Like its land and air counterparts (LANDCOM and AIRCOM), MARCOM reports directly to NATO’s Allied Command Operations (ACO), which is located in Mons, Belgium.”

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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20 COMMENTS

  1. Certainly a fair bit of power projection and flag showing going on, Putin seems to have woken a sleeping lion just have to make sure the claws are sharpened now in case they are needed. That said hopefully this will help mean they wont be needed, prevention is better than belated risky cure as Ukraine has belatedly shown us.

  2. Because each nation provides a small number of assets at anyone time and the geopolitical stresses that can appear between members, you can forget how much strength there is behind NATO and the fact it is by far the most powerful co-ordinated military power on the planet ( even with all the politics).

    What the Ukraine Russian War has shown is that for all the differences any perception of a significant threat to Nato members does bring that family of nations into a swift interlinked set of military powers that are in reality pretty much unchallengeable.

    Russia clearly is floundering with not real answer the to money and weapons NATO states are providing to keep Ukraine sovereignty intact, or the sanctioning of its own wealth creation.

    But russia must know now loud and clear that an attack on a Baltic state will bring a crushing response against Russian land sea and air assets.

    Im still not sure the lesson China has taken onboard, will it think that NATO has made it clear it will not intervene militarily in a none NATO country, or will it see that actual the west is willing to engage in a wide range of actions if it sees and realises a potential existential threat.

    From an observational/Anthropological point its really interesting as democracies always seem to drift into indolence around defence as they are generally none aggressive because voters will vote for the nice easy life always ( there are exceptions, but these are when democracies have been subverted). This always tend to lead totalitarian states to underestimate them. But the reality is always that ability to vote for an easy and good life leads to the ability to create a willingness to fight that goes well beyond the unwilling slave populations of a totalitarian state.

    It also shows that only with freedom do you get the innovation, drive and control of corruption that a modern nation needs to defend itself.

    Ukraine has showed the world again what democracies are and that they are never to be taken lightly.

    • Well reasoned post as usual Jonathan. Based on many comments on this site it seems some completely overlook the aggregate power of NATO, even if we exclude N. American contributions and even with the faults and under-investment of many European NATO members to date.

      Something else struck me wrt the poor performance of the Russian military. Its the thought that perhaps authoritarian and especially dictatorial regimes with a rigid top down decision structure might have an inherent weakness versus a military that trains and enables lower rank initiative, autonomy and decision making. Traits that repressive regimes tend to fear and tamp down lest it lead to opposition.

      • Thatā€™s a really interesting point around the autonomy and decision making in a western army compared to a totalitarian/authoritarian nations armed forces. When you think about it They are infact a direct reflection of those societies as the individual soldiers are products of those society:

        1) the democracies encourage and teach freedom of thought and innovation as a core component of its citizens, this then is reflected in the armed forces, which are a products of this society and are bound up as part of that freedom to think and react in the best way to solve an issue and protect the freedoms that have give them and their families opportunity and freedom. So the west creates armed forces full of motivated innovators who know what they are protecting,

        2) the totalitarian state teaches obedience and the need to never challenge authority. This creates an armed forces of individuals who have no real notion of independence action( keep you head down and do as your told). But also it means that the armed forces have no intrinsic bond with the continuation of the state as is. They are essentially disposable slaves to the state. Which means the state needs to control the armed forces (and especially the leaders of the armed forces) in order to protect itself against it own armed forces.

        So the health of a nation really does reflect directly into its armed forces. A health innovative happy nation creates an effective armed forces, a nation that is weak or fractures creates a broken armed forces. The french third republic and Imperial Russia are two classic examples of failing states that had failing armed forces, that broke in battle. Aways then look at the nation as well as the armed forces as in war your actually fighting the nation as much as the armed forces.

        • I think most observers are attributing the 14 Russian General staff killed so far in the Ukraine war to the rigid top-down structure and Russian generals having to lead their units from the frontline in order to install any sense of strategic and tactical direction.
          Russian army NCOs, Junior officers and mid grade officers up to and including colonel and brigadier grade equivalence are not encouraged to do anything but follow orders coming down from the top. Trouble is plans and orders for advance survive only as long as contact with the enemy. NATO standard NCO and officer training plus the creativity and innovation inherent in volunteer soldiers from democratic countries means they always will prove the superior soldiers.
          That’s why even a small deployment of NATO troops in reality would be a big headache for any Russian army unit trying to engage them.

  3. Whatever power we have in the Baltic, they could have chosen a closer port to the sea! Beautiful memories from RÄ«ga:Stockholm ferry trips but it took ages to get up that fford!

    Hope their next stop is RÄ«ga!

  4. Is this part of the move towards becoming a member of NATO? The rhetoric coming out of Russia, will invariably push both Sweden and more significantly Finland into NATO membership. Russia say they will renege on their deal to allow Finnish shipping to pass through the Saimaa canal and through the port of Vyborg (Viipuri) in the Gulf of Finland. This is a major export route for Finnish wood products.

    There has been a growing consensus in Finland, wanting the land ceded to the USSR during the Winter War of 1940 to be given back. The city of Vyborg (Viipuri) which was part of Karelia was handed over as part of the peace treaty.

    • Russia has long wanted to return Finland to its empire, hence the Winter War. Finland celebrated its 100th anniversary of independence from Russia in 2017 which I can well imagine grated with Putin and his clique.

      With only about 5m people and more than 800miles of border with Russia, Finland may well look to NATO but it may turn out to be quite a headache for NATO.

      Don’t get me wrong I would support Finland joining NATO but it would not be without risks and downsides.

      Cheers CR

      • Agreed, however, Norway has always had a rather fluid border with Russia up in the high North. I know I went into both Finland and Russia at some point when on exercise up near Kirkenes.

        It shouldn’t be a major drama, as Murmansk and its nuclear boomer facilities is just over 100km from the Norwegian border. If Finland does become part of NATO. They have a border with Russia, that is around 1500km long. Policing that could be a nightmare, but I’m sure Finland already have that in hand.

        Would the Royal’s and USMC still be tasked with reinforcing the North. Could it mean forward positioning gear in Finland?

      • Yes but you are forgetting the Finns. They are incredibly well trained soldiers, They have a large and highly experienced cadre of reservists and crucially are very, very highly motivated to protect their country. I’d not want to try to invade Finland.

        • Hi Mr Bell,

          I agree with everything you say regarding the Finns and their capabilities.

          I was merely pointing out that Finland is a large but sparsely populated country. That combination makes it vulnerable to Russian attack – accepting of course that “General” Putin is in charge and is incompetent, thankfully.

          Cheers CR

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