2010

Charity Event for "Mother & Children"

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Prishtina. For years, KFOR soldiers, apart from their military mission, have been taking matters into their own hands when it comes to helping people directly. Many soldiers literally stumble over the extremely difficult living conditions of many people here in Kosovo. With the cold and dark season of the year approaching, an unpaid electricity bill or a lack of heating material can have consequences unimaginable to most Western Europeans.

The German and American support unit stationed at HQ KFOR have maintained a close partnership with the "Mother & Children" children's home for years now. When they heard that the windows of the building were leaking and that there would be no money for heating material and electricity bills, two German soldiers started thinking about how they could raise a larger amount of money in a very short time. Chief Petty Officer Freddy Krüger and Petty Officer First Class Toni Willert came up with the spontaneous idea to have a charity party.

"What was important for us was to involve as many nations stationed at the HQ as possible", said Chief Petty Officer Krüger. "Organizing the event came about easily," Petty Officer First Class Willert happily states. "As soon as we made the event public, the first comrades already offered their help and took the organization into their own hands", he says.

From suckling pigs to mulled wine, the guests could enjoy a well-rounded programme. Organizers and guests from all the different nations were able to spend an alternative evening during which a large amount of donations could be collected. Almost 6,000 Euro in the form of cash and goods was raised.

A prime example for the generosity among the soldiers is Master Sergeant Axel Walther, who works in the military Post Office and donated goods worth 1,000 Euros. Andrea Z, a nurse in the Austrian contingent came from Prizren to run a mulled wine booth. Captain Mellak of the Hungarian Air Force set up his sales stand right across from the Austrian booth. Captain Juan A., who worked at one of the American sales stands, said: "I have children of my own. Whenever I look at the kids living in the children's home, I see my own kids”.

That night, the soldiers handed over a large bag of children's clothes to the head of the children's home, Halime Maliqi. These clothes were donated by a well-known clothes manufacturer from Germany. Sergeant Major Klaus Bruckner, who had organized the clothes donation through his private contacts, was visibly touched when Ms. Maliqi gave him a spontaneous hug. In her mind, she surely did not only hug the Sergeant Major, but everyone who devoted their time and energy to the successful outcome of the evening.

Story by Master Sergeant Steffen Maluche, German Army
Photos by Mr. Afrim Hajrullahu

Afghans, coalition forces see progress in Marjeh

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

KABUL, Afghanistan (Dec. 17) – Coalition forces currently conducting operations in Marjeh, as well as Afghan citizens, are seeing noticeable improvements in the former Taliban stronghold.

In a recent Pentagon press brief, Maj. Gen. Richard P. Mills, commanding general, Regional Command Southwest, stated that combat operations against Taliban forces in Marjeh are essentially over.

In February, coalition forces conducted a large-scale offensive in order to drive out Taliban forces occupying the rural community. Though coalition and Afghan forces continue to experience isolated resistance from Taliban insurgents, units operating in the area are conducting humanitarian operations and enhancing security measures to ensure the continued welfare and safety of Marjeh's residents.

According to one Marjeh resident, 24-year-old Sharif, shopkeepers and farmers feel much safer since coalition units began operations in February.

"Before they got here [in Marjeh], it was dominated by the Taliban,” said Sharif, through an interpreter. "I also remember when American forces first came here [in 2001]. The whole country was dominated by the Taliban. Since then, the government, the economy and our safety have greatly improved. The U.S. government helped us to fix a lot of problems [the Taliban] caused.”

Coalition forces will continue to train, advise, mentor and prepare their Afghan counterparts to assume exclusive control of their own country prior to the gradual withdrawal of coalition forces.

NATO counter-piracy commander meets with Combined Maritime Forces' counterpart

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Commodore Michiel Hijmans, Commander of NATO's counter piracy mission, Operation Ocean Shield, meets with his CMF counterpart Commodore Abdul Aleem.

London – Commodore Michiel Hijmans, Commander of NATO's counter piracy mission, Operation Ocean Shield, met with his CMF counterpart Commodore Abdul Aleem on 15 December.

The two commanders met onboard HNLMS De Ruyter (RoyalNetherlands Navy) in the Gulf of Aden to discuss matters of mutual concern, including cooperation in the deployment of ships and aircraft in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin.

SNMG2, commanded by Commodore Hijmans, has recently taken over from SNMG1 and is now in the area with ships from Denmark, The Netherlands, Turkey and the U.S. The commodore and his staff were very pleased to meet some of their CMF counterparts.

"Piracy is a common problem that directly effects the world economy, to counter it international cooperation is essential. In maritime cooperation personal relations have proven one of the keys to success. The visit of commodore Abdul Aleem SI(M) was therefore very useful and appreciated. It strengthens our relationship and allows us to counter piracy to the maximum of our abilities as naval forces," stated Commodore Hijmans.

Speaking after the three hour meeting, Commodore Aleem said: "Today was a chance to renew the mutually beneficial and productive relationship between Combined Maritime Forces and NATO. Our area of operation is simply huge, so by coordinating the activities of our warships and aircraft, we can ensure they are deployed in the most effective way. The pirates are resourceful and capable of adapting their behaviour. Therefore it is essential that counter-piracy operations share their intelligence and develop their strategies in order to remain one step ahead."

The Pakistan Navy has been in command of CTF 151 since the end of November, when Commodore Aleem relieved Rear Admiral Sinan Ertugrul of the Turkish Navy. In recent months the multi-national force has included ships from Australia, Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, UK and U.S. In addition to Pakistan, the command team includes staff from Canada, Netherlands and U.S.

Background Information:

Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 is permanently assigned to NATO. It is a multi-national Naval Group that provides the NATO Alliance with the ability to quickly respond to crisis situations anywhere in the world. A capable, stand-alone task group and one of four standing maritime elements that form a flexible core around which NATO can build a larger force to meet a wide range of missions that will include non-combatant evacuations, consequence management, counter terrorism, crisis response, embargo operations, etc.

CMF's counter-piracy mission is known as Combined Task Force 151 (CTF151) and its mission is to deter, disrupt and suppress piracy, protecting maritime vessels of any nationality and securing freedom of navigation in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin. In conjunction with NATO and EU Naval Force Somalia (EUNAVFOR), CTF-151 conducts patrols in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) and supports Best Management Practice (BMP) methods for piracy avoidance that are promoted to the shipping industry.

CTF 151 is one of three task forces operated by Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a 25-nation coalition based in Bahrain. Its main focus areas are defeating terrorism, preventing piracy, reducing illegal activities and promoting a safe maritime environment.

Viper 51 Meets Rattlesnake 4 In The Virtual World

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Participants simulate forward air control training in a virtual environment created by the NATO Live, Virtual and Constructive simulation infrastructure.

"Viper 51 this is Rattlesnake 4, let me know when you clear the IP (Initial Point) for your run.” "Roger, Rattlesnake 4.”

The pilot of Viper 51 was flying his F-16 at 300 knots just 200 feet off the ground with six 500-pound MK-82 high-drag bombs under his wings. At this speed and altitude the trees blur into one green mass as he scans the terrain.

"Cleared IP.” The Forward Air Controller (FAC) has only seconds to visually acquire the aircraft. One moment it will be a dot on the horizon and the next it will flash overhead.

Rattlesnake 4 has been a FAC for years and has many combat missions in ISAF. He takes one last look at the terrorist vehicles checking also with the ROVER UAV feed to make sure they have not moved, and that there are not any non-combatants near.

"Tip up”, calls Viper 51. The F-16 begins a pull up manoeuvre to gain altitude. As he levels out, he sees the targets as his aiming dot on his heads-up display creeps across the ground toward the vehicles.

"Rattlesnake 4, tally target.”
"Viper 51, cleared hot.”

Viper 51 barely gets his clearance to drop before leaving the target area. He drops the bombs as he pulls a high G turn to escape the weapon's fragmentation envelope. The explosion destroys all three vehicles; a successful high-threat low altitude target engagement.

This event did not occur in some far off land on a battlefield between two unnamed mountains. Instead, it took place all around Europe. The UAV pilot was located in Great Britain's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. The Dutch pilot was flying his F-16 on a desktop simulator at TNO in The Hague, The Netherlands. The FAC was conducting his mission at NATO's Joint Force Training Centre, Bydgoszcz, Poland, wearing a virtual reality helmet. All of them were wrapped in a virtual environment created by the NATO Live, Virtual and Constructive simulation infrastructure. ACT, NC3A, The Netherlands and Great Britain put together this experiment hosted in part by JFTC.

Some comments from the forward air controllers, after the event, included, "doing simulated exercises before the initial live run is critical for making these more productive and for decreasing the number of failed runs”. And, "practice of procedures with pilots of the different nations is essential for being ready for real operations. For example, it is critical to deal with different accents or to handle particular ways to describe objects”

"I think this is a huge step forward to improve the training for FACs and air support pilots engaged in multinational operations,” said U.S. Navy Commander, David James, Fratricide Prevention Integrated Program Team leader. He continued, "Distributed multinational training events such as the one demonstrated here are crucial for pre-deployment and mission rehearsal preparations in order to produce the desired effects for the Alliance in a timely and accurate manner.”

SACEUR offers condolences on the death of Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, arrives at the Kabul Military Training Center.

MONS, Belgium – Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Admiral James Stavridis offers his sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who died December 13.

"We will deeply miss Ambassador Holbrooke and his efforts to broker peace in troubled regions of the world”, said Stavridis. "He has made tremendous strides in the progress that we have made in Afghanistan and Pakistan. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones at the announcement of this sudden and tragic loss. Like so many others, I will deeply miss his energy, creativity, and friendship.”

60 Afghan Police Complete First Basic Course in Badghis

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Members of the Spanish POMLT brief the 60 ANP members about the shooting exercises thay are going to perform.

Sixty Afghan National Police from Badghis police stations graduated from the eight-week basic police course organized by the Spanish Police Operations Mentor Liaison Team in Badghis province 12 December.

The course is part of the Directed Police District Development program and consisted of 250 hours divided in two phases, one theoretical and one practical.

During the theoretical phase, the attendees receive lessons of Afghan constitution, criminal law, procedural law, human rights and ethics, military discipline, interior regime, disciplinary regime, service organization, security patrols, weapons and explosives skills.

The practical phase is directed to improve the individual police technique, identifications and searches, registries, controls, physical training, riot/mass control, shooting exercises and explosive ordnance identification.

The graduation ceremony was held at the Badghis Afghan National Police Headquarters and chaired by Badghis province Lt. Gov. Alhaj-Abdol-Ghani, Spanish Army Col. Francisco Rasaleny, commander, Provincial Reconstruction Team, Pardo de Santayana and Lt. Col. Pedro Vargas, commander, Spanish Police Operations Mentor Liaison Team.

"The police aim to provide security to citizens while gaining their respect,” said Vargas.

For more stories and photos, visit the ISAF website.

NATO Counter Piracy Commander Passes Helm to his Successor

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Commodore Rune shakes hands with Commodore Hijmans on board Danish warship ESBERN SNARE.

Over the weekend Commodore Christian Rune (Royal Danish Navy), the Commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) handed over command of NATO's counter piracy Task Force of warships operating off the coast of Somalia, to Commodore Michiel Hijmans (Royal Netherlands Navy). Commodore Hijmans is the Commander of SNMG2. The handover took place onboard Danish warship Esbern Snare in the Southern Red Sea.

On completion of the command handover, Commodore Rune said: "It has been a great pleasure to command the NATO forces to fight piracy off the Horn of Africa and I have been proud to serve with each and every one of them. As I hand over command to Commodore Hijmans, I know he will carry on the fight to help keep the sea lanes safer for merchant ships”.

After the handover, Commodore Hijmans and staff returned to his NATO flagship HNLMS De Ruyter. His group of SNMG2 ships will now be on patrol off the Horn of Africa for the next 6 months.

"I sincerely want to thank Commodore Rune and his team for their hard work over the last 5 months. With great flexibility and forward thinking, they contributed significantly to the international community's efforts to combat piracy” stated Rear Admiral Hank Ort, the Chief of Staff at NATO Maritime Headquarters at Northwood, London.

Background Information:

NATO has contributed to the international counter piracy effort off the Horn of Africa since December 2008. The mission has expanded from escorting UN and World Food Programme Shipping under Operation Allied Provider and protecting merchant traffic in the Gulf of Aden under Operation Allied Protector. In addition to these activities and as part of the latest mission, Operation Ocean Shield, NATO is working with other international bodies to help develop capacity of countries in the region to tackle piracy on their own.

Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 is permanently assigned to NATO. It is a multi-national Naval Group that provides the NATO Alliance with the ability to quickly respond to crisis situations anywhere in the world. A capable, stand-alone task group and one of four standing maritime elements that form a flexible core around which NATO can build a larger force to meet a wide range of missions that will include non-combatant evacuations, consequence management, counter terrorism, crisis response, embargo operations, etc.

NATO has announced its continuing commitment to counter-piracy by extending Operation Ocean Shield to December 2012.

NATO Forces currently in Operation Ocean Shield:

HNLMS DE RUYTER (Flagship) - Netherlands

HDMS ESBERN SNARE - Denmark

USS LABOON - United States of America

TCG GAZIANTEP – Turkey

Dutch Submarine Awarded for Service in Operation Ocean Shield

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Her Netherlands Majesty's Ship Zeeleeuw, a submarine which has participated in Operation Ocean Shield, arrived in Lisbon to report on her mission. This opportunity was seized to recognize the service of the crew and award NATO's Non-Article Five Africa Medal. The Commander of Allied Joint Force Command Lisbon, Lieutenant General Philippe Stoltz, along with his Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral Fernando Manuel de Macedo Pires da Cunha, boarded the submarine in Oeiras and sailed with the crew to Rocha Londe de Obidos in Lisbon. This enabled the JFC Lisbon Commander to visit with the Commander of HNLMS Zeeleeuw, Lieutenant Commander Erwin Ruijsink, and the sailors aboard while experiencing some of the unique atmosphere that is involved with serving on a submarine.
In cooperation with international actors, NATO is actively engaged in exercising a mandate of the United Nations to monitor the sea, secure the waterways, stop pirate activities and deter further piracy off of the Horn of Africa. Allied Joint Force Command Lisbon is the Headquarters that directs NATO's Operation Ocean Shield.
For the past two months, together with the other ships of NATO Task Force 508, HNLMS Zeeleeuw patrolled the coast of Somalia gathering intelligence about pirates and monitoring pirate camps. Because of the submarine's abilities demonstrated during this deployment, HNLMS Zeeleeuw proved to be an invaluable resource in Operation Ocean Shield while serving with honour and distinction.
The Medal Parade occurred in the Portuguese Alfeite Naval Base in presence of the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Portugal, HE Henk Soeters, and several NATO officials from Lisbon, Northwood and Naples, as well as representatives of the Portuguese Navy.

Kosovo Security Forces assist in Humanitarian Efforts

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Kosovo Security Forces provide relief during severe floods.

General Erhard Bühler, Commander KFOR, together with Mr. Fehmi Mujota, Minister for the Kosovo Security Force (KSF), and Lt.-General Sylejman Selimi, Commander of the KSF, met to discuss the recent operations and activities of the KSF.

They assessed the humanitarian operations of the KSF during the flooding in Albania. Since last week, specialized Search and Rescue and Medical units are deployed in the Shkoder region in Northern Albania to assist the suffering people to overcome the disastrous situation. The KSF deployment, now consisting of 95 members, has managed to rescue hundreds of people who were trapped by flood water.

General Bühler praised the significant progress the KSF has made so far: "KSF is a very ambitious and professional force which accomplishes the tasks set out for it. I congratulate the KSF especially on the efficient performance and the quick response to Albania. There you have provided a well conducted operation to help many endangered people. This international mission in the Shkoder has shown that you can deal with real emergency situations.”

Bühler, Mujota and Selimi also discussed the planning and the performance of the Field Training Exercise "Agile Lion 3”, based on the exercise assessment report developed jointly by KFOR and MKSF.

The Kosovo Security Force conducted their first inter-governmental Field Training Exercise on the 10th and 11th of November 2010. The primary objective was to increase and verify integration of the joint operational and inter-institutional actions at the strategic, operational and tactical levels. The Ministry for the KSF commanded and controlled KSF units and coordinated KSF operations with the Ministry of the Internal Affairs and the Kosovo Police as well as with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Administration, the Secretariat of the National Security Council of Kosovo, the Situation Centre of the Government, the Kosovo Red Cross and the ANP (Action for Non-violence and Peace building).

More than 800 personnel took part, as well as 126 different vehicles and heavy equipment.

All KSF units and the personnel of the other exercise-involved institutions responded to a number of near-simultaneous, major staged incidents throughout Kosovo. They included a flood after an earthquake at the Batlava Lake, an aircraft crash near the village of Magure and a fire burst in the industrial wood enterprise "Radusha” in Istog.

In general the KSF demonstrated a high degree of competency in executing core capabilities, in the fields of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) clean-up and Search and Rescue (SAR). The close cooperation and teamwork with other institutions in Kosovo confirmed the KSF's commitment to establish itself as a professional security force.

KFOR and the Ministry for the KSF agreed to work further to improve some areas of the operational planning and the decision-making process. Additionally, the KSF's cooperation with the other relevant institutions will be developed. KFOR mentors will work in close coordination with their KSF counterparts to ensure further progress is made in future exercises.

Afghan Force Strength Growing Faster than Projected

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Helmand Police Training Centre (HPTC), the UK and Afghan partnered training institution for Afghan National Police, celebrated its first anniversary Dec. 5, 2010. The center, just outside Helmand's provincial capital Lashkar Gah, was established last year to provide a formalized training course for Afghan National Police to raise the standard of policing across the province. To date, the center has trained 1,593 policemen and 160 junior commanders, and a further 488 are currently in training. The 2000th recruit is set to graduate Dec. 29.

Larger-than-expected increases in the size of the Afghan National Security Force are enabling Afghan forces to take an ever-larger role in providing for their country's security – an encouraging sign that they will be able to take the lead by the 2014 transition date outlined during the Lisbon summit, NATO and ISAF spokesmen said today during a press conference at International Security Assistance Force Headquarters.

In the last week, a three-day, Afghan-led operation in northwestern Kandahar province uncovered a large weapons cache, with help from Afghan civilians, German Army Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, ISAF spokesman, said.

"ANSF seized a large amount of small arms and weapons totaling over 100 rocket propelled grenades, 30,000 rounds of ammunition, 70 automatic weapons, and nearly 60 grenades," Blotz said.

Afghan National Police also detained a man in Zabul province transporting 1,000 kilograms of ammonium nitrate from Pakistan.

In a joint operation, Afghan and coalition forces destroyed more than 10,600 kilograms of homemade explosives this week, including 40 complete homemade bombs and materials to construct more than 200 more.

These statistics show the ANSF's growing capability and is a reflection of ANSF's growing numbers, said Blotz.

In Herat, nearly 300 recruits graduated from the 14-week Afghan Border Police training course this week. Next year, more than 10,000 recruits are expected to graduate the ABP course. A firefighting course also graduated 27 Afghan National Army members this week.

"Afghan forces number about 263,000 today, exceeding expectations by several thousand," said Blotz. "We are very confident that they will be ready to defend their country in 2014."

That does not mean coalition forces will leave Afghanistan at that time.

"We will stand by [Afghanistan] as long as needed," said Christopher Chambers, a spokesman for NATO's Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan. "This partnership will ensure Al-Qaida and Taliban will never be a threat to Afghanistan again."

Story by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacey Haga
ISAF Public Affairs Office

Italian Warship BERSAGLIERE Sails Home after Taking Part in NATO’s Counter Piracy Mission

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Italian BERSAGLIERE at sea.

Italian warship ITS BERSAGLIERE is on her way home after completing NATO counter-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa.

The ship and her crew have spent more than two months helping to ensure the safe passage of merchant ships transiting the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden. By patrolling this busy sea area, BERSAGLIERE has helped to prevent pirate attacks from taking place.

Whilst on operations, the crew conducted visits to merchant ships and dhows to remind the merchant community about the real danger of piracy in the region, as well as providing them with an understanding of measures that can help prevent them being hijacked by pirates.

"It has been a great pleasure to work with the crew of BERSAGLIERE over the past two months. Their contribution to the counter piracy effort off Somalia has been immense and instrumental to our mission. I wish the crew a safe journey back to Italy and their families” commented Commodore Christian Rune, Royal Danish Navy, the Commander of NATO's counter-piracy Task Force off Somalia.

US Warship KAUFFMAN Sails for Home after Completing NATO Counter Piracy Operations

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

USS KAUFFMAN at sea.

US warship KAUFFMAN has set sail for home after completing more than 4 months on NATO's counter piracy operation ‘Ocean Shield' off the Horn of Africa.

During the last 4 months USS KAUFFMAN disrupted 4 pirate attacks on merchant shipping and disarmed 17 suspected pirates in the process. Following one attack on 1 November 2010, KAUFFMAN came to the aid of the crew from merchant vessel Go Trader, after the master put out a ‘may day' call to say his ship was being hijacked by armed men. USS KAUFFMAN raced to the scene, and after conducting a full search of the ship, they were able to confirm that the pirates had fled. Only then did the crew feel safe enough to leave their "safe room”.

NATO warships work together with other international maritime forces to disrupt pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa. The counter piracy operations range from patrolling the busy shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden, suppressing sea activities from the piracy camps on the East coast of Somalia and disrupting piracy attacks in the central and western Indian Ocean.

KAUFFMAN cooperated with other NATO units as well as ships and aircraft from the European Union and Coalition Task Forces and forces from independent deployers.

"KAUFFMAN has made a remarkable contribution to NATO's counter piracy effort. It has been a pleasure to work with the US crew, who have done a spectacular job over the last 4 months in what is, a very challenging environment” stated Commodore Christian Rune, Royal Danish Navy, Commander of NATO's counter-piracy Task Force.

Click here for more stories about Operation Ocean Shield on NATO UK MC Northwood website.

Groundbreaking ceremony for NATO Special Operations Headquarters

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A groundbreaking ceremony for the future home for the NATO Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ) was conducted Monday 29^th November 2010 at SHAPE. The future facility will provide operational support, training and headquarters facilities for NSHQ, previously known as the Special Operations Forces Coordination Centre.

This event followed the formal standing-up of NSHQ held on the 22nd of November. During that event, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), Admiral James Stavridis, officially handed a "unit” flag to the NSHQ Commander and Director, Special Operations Office (DSOO), LieutenantGeneral (US) Frank J Kisner.

During his speech for the groundbreaking ceremony, Lt. Gen. Kisner mentioned that NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen emphasised the need for a comprehensive approach during his Lisbon Summit Communique. "There is a need for an approach that draws on subject matter expertise including Special Operations, and joins all these tools and expertise together for a successful operation,” Lt. Gen. Kisner said.

The NSHQ serves as the primary point of direction and coordination for all NATO Special Operations-related activities in order to optimize employment of special operations forces (SOF) to include providing an operational command capability when directed by SACEUR. The NSHQ is the Alliance SOF proponent for NATO SOF policy, standards, doctrine, training, education and assessments. Additionally, the NSHQ maintains and develops a robust operational command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) capability equipped with organic SOF enablers to ensure interoperability and enhance employment of NATO Special Operations.

The Alliance, with the full support of SACEUR, developed NSHQ to provide a coherent framework for NATO SOF, in order to maximize the utility of Special Operations and enhance their operational capabilities. SOF are inherently agile and are seen as the tip of the spear among military organizations, as they provide the ability for tailored, low-profile forces forswift response to predominantly unconventional threats. SOF is viewed in most nations as a cost effective strategicasset forproactive operations that are beyond the norm. As such, NATO SOF and the NSHQ fit perfectly into the context of thenew NATO Strategic Concept and the future of the Alliance.

The standing up of the NSHQ will strengthen the Allied capabilities and will serve as a central coordination, advisory, assistance, and directing body on SOF issues that will strengthen national as well as Allied SOF. The Allied nations are able to leverage special operations expertise provided by the NSHQ in order to effectively manage and further develop their national SOF.

Related Links: http://www.nshq.nato.int/

NATO Flagship Esbern Snare Secures Merchant Ship after Pirate Attack

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

HDMS Esbern Snare

Over the weekend, a boarding team from the NATO flagship HDMS Esbern Snare conducted a search of the merchant ship, MCL Bremen to ensure that no pirates were on board after an attack by pirates.

On the morning of 26th November the master of the Antigua and Barbuda flagged MCL Bremen issued a distress call stating that his ship was under attack from pirates. As he gathered the crew in a safe room, the master saw some pirates climb on board his vessel. With the crew in the safe room, the master was unable to verify whether the suspected pirates were still on board or they had left the vessel.

Esbern Snare raced to the Bremen's position and upon arriving conducted a security sweep. The boarding team from Esbern Snare were then able to determine that the pirates had left the merchant vessel. Having secured the ship, the Danish boarding party alerted the crew who were at last able to leave the safe room.

"Even though we are doing our utmost to prevent the pirates from attacking merchant shipping in the area, the immensity of the Indian Ocean means that we are unable to cover all of the shipping lanes. In this case the availability of a safe room on board Bremen ensured the safety of the crew until we were able to respond,” said Cdre Christian Rune, Royal Danish Navy, Commanding Officer of NATO Counter Piracy Operation, Ocean Shield.

Click here for more stories about Operation Ocean Shield on NATO UK MC Northwood website.

NATO Warship Forces Pirates to Abandon Attack

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

During the early hours of Tuesday morning the master of bulk carrier MV Carmencita put out a may-day call to say his ship was being attacked by a group of pirates in the Indian Ocean.
Danish warship Esbern Snare – the flag ship for NATO‟s counter piracy operation, „Ocean Shield‟ responded immediately by launching her helicopter to over fly the scene and let the pirates know that a NATO warship was on her way to assist the terrified crew.
The master relayed to HDMS Esbern Snare that his crew would be going to their safe room, while he tried to use evasion techniques to fend off the attackers - who had fired rocket propelled grenades and AK-47 gunfire at the ship.
The pirates broke off the attack and fled in their small attack skiffs towards a larger dhow, which had previously been hijacked with hostages on board, and was now being used as a supply „mother ship‟. The pirates dragged one of the attack skiffs onboard the mother ship, and took the second skiff under tow.
During the day Esbern Snare shadowed the pirated dhow to ensure the pirates were not able to attack other ships, and last night, under the cover of darkness, a boarding team from Esbern Snare seized the attack skiff that was being towed behind. Unable to now carry out coordinated attacks, the pirates returned to the Somali coast. The seized attack skiff was subsequently destroyed by Esbern Snare‟s crew.
"Tonight NATO sent a clear message to the pirates; we are watching and we will exploit every mistake. We have a counter piracy mandate and will utilise all the options within that mandate to prevent pirates from hijacking ships and exposing the crews to their inhumane treatment.” Captain Steen Engelbrecht Pedersen, Royal Danish Navy, Commanding Officer of ESBERN SNARE said.

Click here for more stories about Operation Ocean Shield on NATO UK MC Northwood website.

NATO Summit paves way for renewed Alliance

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Lisbon Summit concluded on 20 November with decisions that will mean profound changes for the way NATO does business, making the Alliance more effective, more efficient and more engaged with the wider world.

“Air Situation Data Exchange”- Important Coordination between NATO and Partner Nations

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

On Nov. 19, after three years of negotiations, Finland and three Baltic nations have agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, establishing an Air Situation Data Exchange.

The agreement was signed by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland in a short ceremony with Chief of Staff, General Manfred Lange. The agreement is significant for aviation safety and for the security cooperation between the countries. It aims to de-conflict airspace and minimise potential cross-border incidents and optimise response to renegade situations. The three Baltic nations delegated permission to sign the document to their National Military Representatives at SHAPE.

Up to now, four operational "Air Situation Data Exchange” (ASDE) connections have been implemented in accordance with the ASDE program, i.e. between Germany and Austria, Hungary and Ukraine, Turkey and Georgia and Finland, and today between Finland the three Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. All four ASDE connections have been assessed as operational and no principal problems were reported.

NATO’s “Cyber Coalition” exercise a collaboration in cyber defence

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Between 16-18 November, NATO conducted Cyber Coalition 2010, a cyber defence exercise that tested cyber incident response, interagency collaboration, and the strategic decision making processes of NATO and its member states.

Cyber Coalition 2010 was a procedural cyber defence exercise that included a number of technical elements. National cyber defence decision-making authorities, the NATO Cyber Defence Management Board and computer incident response teams from NATO and NATO nations participated in the exercise.

Major Carlos Torralba, the Exercise director stated that "the 2010 scenario included multiple, simultaneous cyber attacks targeting NATO and NATO member states, including spear phishing email attacks, malware-infected websites, inexplicable network activity and cyber espionage. Most of the incidents required action, coordination and collaboration from technical specialists as well as strategic decision making bodies of NATO and its nations. "

The exercise was centrally managed by the Cyber Coalition core planning team at SHAPE near Mons, Belgium. All other participants carried out the exercise from the country and location where they regularly operate. NATO Headquarters International Military Staff and International Staff; NATO Computer Incident Response Capability Technical Centre (NCSA NCIRC TC); NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) and Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCD COE) are jointly responsible for the preparation and execution of the exercise.

The Cyber Coalition is planned and conducted under the approval of the NATO Cyber Defence Management Board, the executive body overseeing NATO's cyber defence activities. Cyber Coalition sponsors include all of the key institutions managing cyber security in NATO.

Cyber Coalition 2010 is the third NATO cyber defence exercise. The first edition of the exercise in November 2008 was limited to NATO bodies. In 2009 and in 2010, all NATO nations were invited to participate.

The NATO Chronicles

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

NATO's Public Diplomacy Division has produced a series of five short documentaries that take viewers straight to the heart of the Alliance's missions. The five documentaries shed light on programmes and initiatives which are important, but not well known to the public. The subjects covered include: combating piracy; air surveillance; energy security; broadband internet for Afghanistan; and research programmes for ecologically sustainable agricultural systems.

NATO ship rescues stranded sailor while patrolling in Eastern Med

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Crew of the Spanish warship Marques de la Ensenada rescue a stranded sailor adrift for several days after engine failed. Photo: Spanish Navy

Earlier today the Spanish Ship ESPN Marques de la Ensenada was alerted to a small craft in distress after the lone passenger in a stranded boat fired a signal flare. Upon approaching the six meter launch the crew discovered that the sailor had been adrift for several days after an engine failure. He had also run out of food and water.

Mechanics tried unsuccessfully to repair the engine and the Cyprus coastguard, alerted to the situation, requested that Marques de la Ensenada tow the vessel to a rendezvous point with a Search and Rescue vessel. The sailor has been taken on board the Spanish warship and is reported to be safe and well.

ESPN Marques de la Ensenada is part of a substantial Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 currently carrying out Surge Operations in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean as part of Operation Active Endeavour.

Background Information:

SNMG 2 is a multinational integrated maritime force that forms part of the NATO Response Force and operates under the command of the Allied Maritime Command in Naples. Permanently activated and held at high readiness it is a mobile and flexible force that allows the Alliance to respond to today's security challenges. The group currently consist of 12 ships and is under the command of Commodore Michiel B. Hijmans Royal Netherlands Navy.

The ships are:

HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (flagship), The Netherlands

TCG Barbaros, Turkey

ESPN Marques de la Ensenada Spain

ESPN Mendez Nunez Spain

HS Themistocles, Greece

FGS Bremen, Germany

ITS Avire, Italy

ITS Espero, Italy

ITS Bettica, Italy

HS Hydra, Greece

ROS Regel Ferdinand, Romania

URS Ternopil, Ukraine