By Ambassador Stewart Eldon

 

 

With the continuing focus on land operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo, it's sometimes easy to overlook NATO's substantial maritime component. So this year's NAC/Military Committee Sea Day organised by SACEUR and hosted by the Italian Navy in Taranto on 23 May was a welcome opportunity to see the valuable work the Alliance's sailors do.

 

Along with the rest of the NAC and Military Committee, Anthony Dymock and I visited NATO's Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, currently engaged on Operation Active Endeavour in the Mediterranean. Operation Active Endeavour is designed to help prevent terrorism by monitoring sea traffic and tracking - and where appropriate boarding and searching - suspicious vessels. It was started in the aftermath of 9/11 and is the only operation so far undertaken under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which covers Common Defence. It has recently benefited from a new UN-sponsored system of tracking maritime traffic (AIS), that allows a more comprehensive picture of Mediterranean sea lanes to be developed. As a result, the Alliance effort is better targeted and, thanks to the internet, NATO also works in co-operation with a number of Partner littoral states.

 

The Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 is currently made up of ships from the US, UK, Turkey, Greece, Spain and Italy. A Ukrainian Naval vessel is currently participating in Operation Active Endeavour for the first time, and completed its certification a few days before we arrived. It was obvious from the start that the crews all greatly enjoyed the opportunity to work with, and learn from, each other.

 

Anthony and I sailed with HMS MONTROSE, a Royal Navy Type 23 Frigate. DSACEUR, General Sir John Reith, and a number of other PermReps and MilReps joined us. We were made very welcome by the ship's Captain, Commander Tony Watt, and his crew. Tony apologised for not being able to show us around himself but said he was likely to be busy on the bridge for much of the day.

 

That proved something of an understatement. The first event of the ensuing six hours was a simulated attack on MONTROSE by small inflatables, crewed by the Italian navy, in a manoeuvre similar to that used against the USS Cole in Aden. Deflecting it required alertness and quick reflexes on the part of the crew.

 

There followed demonstrations of refuelling at sea; the use of the ship's helicopter in its anti-submarine role (involving also participation of a Maritime Patrol Aircraft); and simulated attacks on the Maritime Group by Italian Tornado and AV-8B (Harrier) aircraft. The Harrier took the prize for the lowest approach above the water, which deliberately missed MONTROSE by about 50 feet. But then, we were reminded, he was a navy pilot!

 

Lunch in the wardroom provided an opportunity to meet a cross-section of the ship's crew, as well as a chance to sample Royal Navy cooking (superb, on a budget of £1.60 per person per day). Their dedication and professionalism impressed. It was good to see younger men and women relishing a naval career (I'm told there are similar trends with other Allies). But, interestingly, officers are on average getting older, with more promotions than before from the ranks. The rest of the programme included a tour of the ship and a simulated boarding both from a helicopter and by sea - in which the Ukrainian vessel played a leading role, with evident enthusiasm.

 

All in all a valuable day. It taught me a lot, both about the different tempo of military activity at sea and about Operation Active Endeavour itself. One lesson was how smoothly NATO can work with national administrations to prevent smuggling and other terrorism-related activities. Another was how much technology can help, both in the fight against terrorism and more widely. But someone - in this case the Alliance - needs to take the initiative to exploit it. And, lastly, the potential for Partnership in naval work, which serves everyone's interest.

 

Finally, a tribute to the competence and professionalism of the sailors from many countries that made the day so memorable. A warm thank you to them all!