Standing NRF Mine Countermeasures Group 2

Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) standing mine countermeasures Immediate Reaction Force. From 3 September 2001 to 1 January 2005 it was known as the Mine Countermeasures Force South (MCMFORSOUTH). From its activation on 27 May 1999 to September 2001, it was Standing Mine Countermeasures Force in the Mediterranean (MCMFORMED).

SNMCMG2 normally comprises eight mine hunters or mine sweepers and a support ship from Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

SNMCMG2 operates as an integral unit whether participating in exercises or conducting real world operational missions. It is employed primarily in the Mediterranean area but, as required, will be available anywhere NATO requires it to deploy.

Command of the force rotates among contributing nations.

Organization

SNMCMG2 is a component of the NATO Response Force

NATO Response Force

The NATO Response Force is a "coherent, high-readiness, joint, multinational force package" of up to 25,000 troops that is "technologically advanced, flexible, deployable, interoperable and sustainable"...

(NRF). Operationally, SNMCMG2 reports to the Maritime Component Command Naples, which is one of the three Component Commands of Joint Force Command Naples

Joint Force Command Naples

Allied Joint Force Command Naples is a NATO military command. It was activated on 15 March 2004, after what was effectively a redesignation of its predecessor command, Allied Forces Southern Europe , originally formed in 1951...

.

Currently (July 2010) the following ships participate in SNMCMG2:

HS Aliakmon (Greece), command ship
ITS Granatiere (Italy), former command ship
ITS Rimini (Italy)
SPS Segura (Spain)
FGS Groemitz (Germany)
ΗS Callisto (Greece)
TCG Amasra (Turkey)

Commanding officer is Captain Georgios Pelekanakis, HN, taking over from Captain Patrizio Rapalino.

History

MCMFORMED and her sister force Mine Counter Measures Force North Western Europe (MCMFORNORTH) were tasked in June 1999 to operate in the Adriatic Sea

Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...

to clear ordnance jettisoned during Operation Allied Force

Operation Allied Force

The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...

. The combined force comprised 11 Mine hunter/sweepers and a support ship. The operation, named Allied Harvest, began on 9 June 1999. Search activities began three days later and lasted 73 days. In total, 93 pieces of ordnance were located and cleared in the nine areas which encompass 1,041 square nautical miles (3,570 km²).

Organization

History

See also