On October 11 – 14, five warships of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1), flagship FGS Werra (A514), FGS Weilheim (M1059), BNS Lobelia (M921), HNLMS Willemstad (M864) and LNS Skalvis (M53), are conducting a port visit in Klaipėda. Port calls to foreign countries are an important element of readiness to face potential threats.
“Ships rotate to visit ports thus learning about the maritime environment, seafloor features and arrangement of communication lines, and carrying out reconnaissance to maintain readiness to respond to unexpected developments in the security situation,” said Chief of Staff of the Lithuanian Navy Captain (Navy) Tomas Skurdenis.
SNMCMG1 has been put on long-term NATO Operation Brilliant Shield since 2023 strengthening the eastern flank of Alliance with additional Allied maritime capabilities, maritime surveillance and air defence measures. The Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One visit to Klaipėda underlines the strength of the bond between Lithuania and NATO and the significance of the Lithuanian part in the Alliance.
“Our group is here to make sure the seafloor, especially the subsea communication lines, are safe. It is common knowledge that many unexploded mines are remaining in the Baltic Sea since World War I and World War II. Our obligation is to hunt and sweep these explosives,” says Commander Artur Krüger, German Navy officer commanding SNMCMG1.
Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One is the Alliance’s standing maritime capability for training maneuvers and operational missions. The unit sails the Northern European waters conducting demining activities and training in international NATO training events at sea and exercises with NATO partners. SNMCMG1 ships contributed by maritime NATO Allies can are the maritime component of the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) ready to respond to crises.
Lithuania has been deploying vessels to SNMCMG1 since 2006 on a regular basis. It is an important contribution to the security in the Baltic Sea and neighboring regions and mine countermeasures to dispose of historical mines, i.e. naval mines remaining from WWI and WWII. In 2014 the current Commander Lithuanian Navy Rear Admiral Giedrius Premeneckas was Commander NATO SNMCMG1, another Lithuanian officer to lead the unit was Commander Audrius Venckūnas in 2020.
NATO maintains four standing maritime groups to have constantly available maritime capabilities and a component of the NATO Response Force. Two of the four, SNMG1 and SNMG2, are formed by large surface warfare ships, such as frigates and destroyers, while SNMCMG1 and SNMCMG2 incorporate mine countermeasures vessels. )
Photo and info credits: Lithuanian Navy
