A US Navy Admiral has assumed command of NATO’s Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) 1, taking over from a Royal Danish Navy Commodore. 

NATO say that in a ceremony marking the hand-over in Copenhagen, Rear Admiral Edward Cashman of the US Navy said:

“The North Atlantic is a bridge that connects the Allies, not a barrier that separates them. That connectivity is even stronger today and more important than ever to our security and to our prosperity.” Rear Admiral Cashman will command the group from the new flagship, the USS Gravely.

At the same ceremony, the Royal Danish Navy’s Commander Peter Krogh took command of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group (SNMCMG) 1, succeeding a Belgian Navy commander say the Alliance.

“NATO’s standing naval forces are integrated into the NATO Response Force, and provide the Alliance with a continuous presence at sea. These multinational forces regularly carry out patrols, exercises and port visits, work with partners, and can be rapidly deployed in times of tension or crisis. They also support the Alliance’s Aegean deployment – helping to cut lines of illegal migration between Greece and Turkey.”

NATO’s available naval forces consist of four groups: Standing NATO Maritime Groups 1 and 2, and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Groups 1 and 2.

SNMG1 now consists of the US flagship USS Gravely and Germany’s FGS Spessart. SNMG2 is led by the Dutch flagship HNLMS Evertsen and Canada’s HMCS Ville de Québec, while SNMG2’s Aegean deployment is led by Germany’s FGS Bonn and joined by Albanian vessel ALS Lisus, Greek vessels HS Maridakis, HS Mykonios, and HS Polemistis, and Turkish vessel TCG Kumkale.

SNMCMG1 is now led by Danish flagship HDMS Thetis, joined by Germany’s FGS Dillengen; and SNMCMG2 is under German command, with the FGS Werra serving as flagship.

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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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Cam Hunter
Cam Hunter
5 years ago

Wasn’t this story covered today also?? There’s repeats of story’s all the time….

Steve Taylor
5 years ago

The Thetis class are wonderful ships.

HF
5 years ago

Got to be careful – Trump might withdraw US forces via a tweet.

Steven
Steven
5 years ago
Reply to  HF

Yawn

Nick Bowman
Nick Bowman
5 years ago

Notice that SNMG1 consists of one US Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and one German tanker that is unarmed. No wonder the Americans don’t have a lot of confidence in European NATO allies (with the exception of the UK and possibly Poland and France).

HF
5 years ago

Why yawn ? Does he not make ludicrous security and foreign policy announcements off the cuff, and often by twitter ? You know, things that horrify the rest of his administration.