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ROTA NAVAL BASE, Spain – A NATO Task Group led by the flagship frigate ESPS Victoria completed a three-week deployment to patrol the Western Mediterranean Sea, as part of NATO’s Operation Sea Guardian (OSG). This is the fourth focused operations (FOCOPS) conducted this year as part of OSG.
During the three-week patrol, ESPS Victoria conducted Maritime Situational Awareness (MSA) engaging with merchant and fishing vessels, as well as other transiting ships, providing reassurance to local mariners and informing them of the vital support NATO provides for the maritime community.
A submarine from Spain, maritime patrol aircraft from Portugal and Spain, and NATO Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Force (NISRF) supported ESPS Victoria during the three-week patrol enhancing mission effectiveness due to this multi-component coordination.
We enhanced our capabilities alongside partners and strengthened our cohesion and ability to work together in complex environments at sea. We are better for the experience.
“The opportunity to lead a NATO Task Group was a very rewarding experience for me and for our team,” said Commander Task Group Commander Jorge Navarrete. “We enhanced our capabilities alongside partners and strengthened our cohesion and ability to work together in complex environments at sea. We are better for the experience.”
The OSG task group, functioning under the operational command of NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), serves as a central point for sharing maritime security information within the Alliance.
OSG is a standing Maritime Security Operation aimed at deterring and countering terrorism while mitigating the risk of threats to maritime security in the Mediterranean. These efforts are operationalized in coordination with NATO partners and other maritime security stakeholders. In addition, OSG conducts Focused Patrols in designated areas during specific periods throughout the year.
Story by Public Affairs Office at MARCOM
