On October 6-16 the Standing NATO Mine Counter-measures Group ONE (SNMCMG1) led by an officer of the Lithuanian Navy took part in a combined forces Exercise Joint Warrior off the northwestern coast of Scotland. The international training event involved the total of 13 Allies training according to various regional crisis-focused maritime combat scenarios generated specifically for the exercise.
The exercise involved Belgian, Danish, Estonian, Spanish, U.S. British, Latvian, Polish, Lithuanian, Dutch, Norwegian, French, and German military naval, air and land units, totalling 22 warships, 52 aircraft, and over 3 thousand soldiers.
At the exercise the SNMCMG1flagship LNS JOTVINGIS (N42) (Lithuanian Navy) was heading a drill mine hunt complemented with tasks of protection against asymmetric threats, surface maneuvering, air defence, area patrolling, and vessel of interest boarding and detention aggravated by communications and GPS jamming. The LNS JOTVINGIS ensured replenishment at sea and other logistic provision for the exercise participants.
The high intensity exercise gave SNMCMG1 ships valuable experience of operating alongside air, land and naval assets of NATO nations, and increasing their accomplishments and readiness to complete SNMCMG1 objectives.
The professionalism and truly excellent performance of the LNS JOTVINGIS and the entire Lithuanian-led SNMCMG1 at the exercise was recognised by the exercise command.
After the completion of Exercise Joint Warrior SNMCMG1 will be going for a port visit to Belfast (Northern Ireland).
Photo credits: MCPO Michailas Karpuzovas (LTUN) and HQ MARCOM Photographer Cedric Artigues (FRAF).
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Since passing under the command of Cdr. Giedrius Premenckas of the Lithuanian Navy on August 7 the Group has already completed port visits to Riga (Latvia), Tallinn (Estonia), Turku (Finland), Klaipėda (Lithuania), Rostock (Germany), and Stavanger (Norway). SNMCMG1 held non-stop tactical at-sea training while transiting from port to port, attended joint training with vessels of the Lithuanian Navy in August, and deployed to Exercise Northern Coasts 2014 in the territorial waters of Finland in September that involved over 3 thousand troops with over 50 aircraft and vessels honing their interoperability in a combined joint task force for a case of regional crisis.
Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One, SNMCMG1, ensures NATO is supported with standing maritime capabilities for exercises and actual operations. SNMCMG1 completes at-sea mine clearance operations, and attends multinational training events within NATO framework and with NATO partners in the waters of Northern Europe. It is also used for responding to crises, demonstrating the presence of the Alliance in the region and NATO solidarity, and for visiting seaports of NATO and partner countries.
SNMCMG1 vessels are assigned by naval member states of NATO, the Group is led by a representative of one of the member states on a rotating basis. For the second semester of this year SNMCMG1 is made up of the Lithuanian Minelayer LNS JOTVINGIS, the Polish Navy's ORP FLAMING, the German Navy's FGS DATTELN, the Norwegian Navy's HNoMS KARMOEY, the Latvian Navy's LVNS TALIVALDIS, the Estonian Navy's ENS SAKALA, the Dutch Navy's HNLMS ZIERIKZEE and the Belgian Navy's BNS CROCUS.
More on SNMCMG1 and its activities:
http://SNMCMG1lt.kam.lt (in Lithuanian)
http://SNMCMG1.kam.lt (In English).
CIMIC officer of the Lithuanian Navy Lieutenant (Navy) Antanas Brencius, phone no. 00370 46 391 207, mobile phone no. 003703 698 18 196.
