The Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 returned to the sea after the winter break. The Naval Group, consisting of four naval units having as flagship the FREMM frigate of the Navy Carabiniere is carrying out patrolling, presence and surveillance activities in the Mediterranean Sea, consolidating NATO's military presence in the area.
During the activity at sea, the naval units were engaged in a training program with increasing difficulty, aimed at increasing the professional skills of the personnel on board, favoring the integration between the crews of the vessels of the device. The training, consisting of Nave Carabiniere, by the German frigate Hamburg, from the Turkish Orucreis and from Greek unity Limnos conducted several exercises including link exchange, helicopter flight operations, seafaring and kinematic maneuvers. The training activity was carried out in the context of patrolling and Maritime Situational Awareness carried out daily by the units, which recently also included a supply of fuel with the USNS Kanawka supply unit.
The SNMG2 device, which operates under the command of Allied Maritime Component (MARCOM) and constitutes a continuous and visible presence of the solidity and cohesion of the Atlantic Alliance, aimed at guaranteeing maritime safety and the vital interests of the Member States. The NATO device constitutes a naval rapid reaction force, used in the execution of complex multinational exercises with the Allied countries and the Mediterranean partners, aimed at improving the capabilities of the respective navies and their interoperability. According to the SNMG2 commander, Rear Admiral Paolo Fantoni "Training with the national and allied navies of the entire Mediterranean is one of the key elements for maintaining the operational readiness of the Task Group, allowing the Alliance to ensure a credible presence in the area. A naval force capable of intervening in the The whole spectrum of military operations, wherever and whenever this is necessary, is a vital tool for diplomacy and military presence operations ".
SNMG2 constitutes a multinational naval force, currently composed of Italian, German, Turkish and Greek naval units that train, work together and are permanently available to carry out NATO missions by intervening promptly in the event of political, military and humanitarian crises.
