Standing NATO Maritime Group 1

History

In late November 1966, U.S. Rear Admiral Richard G. Colbert prepared a concept paper proposing a permanent Allied Command Atlantic naval contingency force based on Operation Matchmaker, an annual six-month exercise involving ships from NATO navies. The proposed contingency force was approved by NATO in December 1967 and activated in January 1968 as Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT).{{citation

During the 1990s, STANAVFORLANT was heavily involved in Operation Maritime Monitor (July 1992 to November 1992), Operation Maritime Guard (November 1992 to June 1993) and Operation Sharp Guard (June 1993 to October 1996), the maritime embargo operations in the Adriatic Sea established to ensure compliance by Serbia and Montenegro with United Nations (UN) resolutions 713, 715, 787, 820 and 943. Between November 1992 and June 1996 some 74,000 ships were challenged, almost 6,000 were inspected at sea and more than 1,400 were diverted and inspected in port.

The force was under the operational control of SACLANT until SACLANT was decommissioned in 2003, when it was merged into NATO's Allied Command Operations (ACO).

The force was re-designated Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 in January 2005.

In September 2007, SNMG1 was in the Red Sea bound for Suez to complete a circumnavigation of Africa when the Jabal al-Tair volcano erupted. SNMG1 ships assisted the Yemeni coast guard in the recovery of their military personnel stationed on the island.

From March 2009 to June 2009 SNMG1 was deployed by NATO off the Somali coast to conduct Operation Allied Protector, to deter, defend and protect World Food Programme (WFP) vessels against the threat of piracy and armed robbery, thereby allowing WFP to fulfill its mission of providing humanitarian aid.

Since August 2009, SNMG1 has been providing ships for NATO's Operation Ocean Shield anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden.

On 23–25 March 2012 the group conducted a passing exercise with Carrier Strike Group Twelve, led by , while carrying out Operation Active Endeavor missions in the Mediterranean Sea. The group's commander, Commodore Ben Bekkering of the Royal Netherlands Navy, visited Enterprise. At the time, the group consisted of the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate , the Spanish Navy frigate , the German Navy frigate , and the Royal Canadian Navy frigate .

In November 2018, HNoMS Helge Ingstad of the Royal Norwegian Navy was operating with SNMG1 when she was involved in a collision with a Maltese-flagged tanker and had to be deliberately run aground to prevent her sinking. The remainder of SNMG1 stood by to provide assistance.

During 2021, SNMG1 was active in the region of the Baltic Sea for 12 days.

Current ships

In 2026, SNMG1 consisted of: Ships in bold are currently part of the naval force

Previous task groups

In 2025, SNMG1 consisted of: Ships in bold are currently part of the naval force

In 2024, SNMG1 consisted of: Ships in bold are currently part of the naval force

In 2023, SNMG1 consisted of: Ships in bold are currently part of the naval force

In 2022, SNMG1 consisted of: Ships in bold are currently part of the naval force

In 2021, SNMG1 consisted of:

During this deployment, SNMG1 took part in numerous exercises including:

• TG 21-1 from February 8 to February 19 in Norway
• Dynamic Guard 21 from February 24 to February 26 in Norway
• Joint Warrior 21-1 from May 7 to May 14 in the United Kingdom
• Steadfast Defender 21 from May 21 to June 2 in Portugal
• BALTOPS50 from June 6 to June 18 in the Baltic Sea
• Dynamic Mongoose 21 from July 1 to July 9 in Norway
• Joint Warrior 21-2 from 18 September to 30 September 2021 in the United Kingdom
• FLOTEX 21 from November 22 to December 3 in Norway
• Exercise REP(MUS) from 12 September to 22 September in Portugal

References

References

1. "Maritime Groups". NATO.
2. See also, [[John B. Hattendorf]], “NATO’s Policeman on the Beat: The First Twenty-Years of the Standing Naval Force, Atlantic, 1968-1988,” in: John B. Hattendorf, Naval History and Maritime Strategy: Collected Essays. (Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing, 2000), pp. 187-200.
3. "Operation Sharp Guard". NATO.
4. (19 June 2003). "New NATO Transformation Command Established in Norfolk". United States Department of Defense.
5. (2016). "International Order at Sea: How it is challenged. How it is maintained". Palgrave Macmillan.
6. "NATO Press Release(2007)097".
7. [http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_48815.htm ''Counter-piracy Operations.''] North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Retrieved: 27 December 2013.
8. [http://www.manw.nato.int/page_operation_ocean_shield.aspx Operation Ocean Shield] {{webarchive. link. (2011-05-13)
9. (March 26, 2012). "SNMG1 in PASSEX with US Carrier Group". [[NATO]].
10. (March 26, 2012). "''Enterprise'' Hosts Commander, Standing NATO Maritime Group 1". Enterprise Carrier Strike Group Public Affairs.
11. (26 March 2012). "Enterprise Hosts Commander, Standing NATO Maritime Group 1". US Navy.
12. "Allied Maritime Command - SNMG1 ship accident at sea".
13. "Allied Maritime Command - Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1)".
14. "SNMG1 Twitter".
15. Public Affairs Office at MARCOM. (2024-07-12). "Spain hands over command of SNMG1 to Denmark after six-month deployment".
16. "Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1)". NATO.
17. "Danish Frigate HDMS Peter Willemoes and F-16 Fighting Falcons to Reinforce NATO Forces".
18. "SNMG1 participates in the Norwegian exercise TG 21-1".
19. "NATO exercise Dynamic Guard underway in Norway".
20. "NATO ships train in exercise Joint Warrior 21-1 with UK Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group".
21. "Exercise Steadfast Defender 2021 to test NATO readiness and military mobility".
22. "BALTOPS 50 Comes to a Close".
23. "NATO Exercise Dynamic Mongoose 21 Underway in High North".
24. "NATO Exercise Dynamic Mariner and Joint Warrior Begins in the Atlantic".
25. Vavasseur, Xavier. (November 19, 2021). "Royal Norwegian Navy Kicked Off FLOTEX 21 Exercise".
26. NATO. "NATO exercises with new maritime unmanned systems".