(Pdd) Press and Media Section Media Operations Centre (Moc) Nato Hq Brussels
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PUBLIC DIPLOMACY DIVISION (PDD) PRESS AND MEDIA SECTION MEDIA OPERATIONS CENTRE (MOC) NATO HQ BRUSSELS T: +32-2-707-1010 / 1002 e-mail : [email protected] FACT SHEET COUNTER-PIRACY: OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD The mission Piracy and armed robbery off the Horn of Africa are a significant concern to the international community, nations, non-governmental and commercial organizations. A number of countries and organizations have committed themselves to prevent piracy threatening sea lines of communications and economic interest. NATO’s efforts to deter and disrupt piracy off the coast of Somalia started in October 2008 with Operation Allied Provider, when the United Nations asked for protection of the World Food Program vessels in order to safely provide humanitarian aid to Somalia. The results of the operation were extremely encouraging and led to an expanded role for NATO’s counter-piracy efforts that continued with the successor Operation Allied Protector (March –August 2009) and are ongoing since August 2009 with Operation Ocean Shield (OOS). This operation was launched by the North Atlantic Council on 17 August 2009 and is currently being undertaken by the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1, see below). The Alliance has broadened its approach to combating piracy by introducing a new element to its mission: it is offering, to regional states that request it, assistance in developing their own capacity (e.g. local coast guard) to combat piracy activities in full complementarity with existing international efforts as coordinated with the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS, see below). Composition of the naval force The backbone of the naval assets operating under Ocean Shield is provided by SNMG 1. The following ships are currently assigned to Operation Ocean Shield: HDMS Absalon (Denmark, flagship) HMCS Fredericton (Canada) USS Boone (USA) HMS Chatham (UK). Command and structure For Operation Ocean Shield, SNMG1 comes under the overall responsibility of Joint Command Lisbon, Portugal, and the day-to-day tactical control of the operation is under the Allied Maritime Component Command (CC-Mar) Northwood, UK. The commander of SNMG1 is currently Commodore Christian Rune (Denmark). Statistics Although the total number of pirate attacks in the entire region was higher in 2009 than in 2008, the number of successful hijackings in the Gulf of Aden has fallen by almost 50% (from 32 down to 18). However, in the Somali Basin, the number of successful attacks went up from 8 in 2008 to 55 in 2009. While the situation remains challenging, increased patrolling, better coordination by the various maritime actors in the area and more rigorous application of self-protection measures (so-called Best Management Practices) by the maritime industry have all contributed to a much improved security situation in the Gulf of Aden. NATO and the other maritime actors are looking into ways to address the shift of the pirate attacks to the Somali Basin. BACKGROUND INFO: SNMG: NATO has two maritime Immediate Reaction Forces: the Standing NATO Maritime Groups composed of the SNMG1 and the SNMG2, and the Standing NATO Maritime Mine Countermeasure Groups (SNMCMG1 and SNMCMG2). The Standing NATO Maritime Groups are a multinational, integrated maritime force. These vessels are permanently available to NATO to perform tasks as directed by the North Atlantic Council which could range from participating in exercises to undertaking operational missions. These groups provide NATO with a continuous maritime capability for NATO Response Force (NRF) operations and other operations and peacetime activities. They also help to establish Alliance presence, demonstrate solidarity, conduct routine diplomatic visits to different countries, support transformation and provide a variety of maritime military capabilities to ongoing missions. Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS): The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia was established in January 2009, pursuant to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1851 to facilitate discussion and coordination of actions among states and international organizations to suppress piracy off the coast of Somalia. It serves as an important international platform to coordinate activities across a broad range of actors present in the area. NATO is an active member of this Group. SHADE: Monthly meetings of the SHADE (Shared Awareness and Deconfliction) group, held in Bahrain, provide a platform for coordination of activities between the maritime industry and NATO (Operation Ocean Shield - TF 508), EU (Operation ATALANTA – TF 465), the US-led Coalition Maritime Force (CMF - TF-151), and individual nations with maritime assets in the region, which have included Australia, Bahrain, China, Egypt, India, Jordan, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Korea, Ukraine and Yemen. .