NATO begins patrol operations in the Mediterranean Sea
On Wednesday, November 9th, NATO began a constant patrol operation in the Mediterranean, codenamed “Sea Guardian.” Three ships and two submarines will run patrols in the central Mediterranean region under the auspices of NATO. The naval forces include Italian frigate IST Aviere, Bulgarian frigate BGS Verni, Turkish frigate TCG Gemlik, Greek submarine HS Papanikolis and Spanish ESPS Mistral.
From the air, the mission will be supported by rotations of aircraft from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey. The first patrol mission will last until November 17th while the rest will be carried out according to the schedule.
The Sea Guardian operation has three main objectives: situational awareness, counter-terrorism measures and strengthening military potential. If necessary, the Allies may entrust the participants of the mission with other tasks, for example, provision of the freedom of navigation, prevention of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the protection of critical infrastructure.
Sea Guardian will allow NATO to maintain awareness of the current situation in the Mediterranean and to identify potential threats to security, an official statement posted on NATO's website says.