Category: Marines from all over the world

Sail training ships - so old and so modern

A moment of carelessness and a wave took me off my tired legs and I slid roughly across the wooden deck. Somewhat shocked and dripping, I heard the boatswain shouting at me in the wind through the water in my ears "All right? Then watch sailor - to the sheet!" There we pulled on the rope with a loud rhythm of "haul away". This went on for hours. It wasn't an exercise or a harassing drill, but a battle with a storm. What were harmless lines on the chart below deck in meteorology were harsh reality up here. Why do people do this to themselves? Sailing...

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Nordic defence

The Scandinavian navies can look back on a long history. Due to the confrontation with Russia, their importance in the North and Baltic Seas is growing again. The Scandinavian states of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland are traditionally closely linked. They are represented in the Nordic Council for cultural and political cooperation and in the Nordic Defence Cooperation Nordefco. The aim of the latter is to coordinate joint defence projects in the areas of procurement, logistics, training and defence planning. Norway, Denmark and Iceland, which do not have their own armed forces, are members of NATO, while the neutral states of Sweden and Finland have joined the EU and the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme.

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Small forces, big impact

The Swedish navy also reduced the number of its units after the end of the Cold War. However, Putin's annexation of Crimea in 2014 prompted those responsible to change their minds. On 18 May, the Swedish government officially submitted its application to join the NATO defence alliance. At the same time, NATO headquarters in Brussels received an application for membership from neighbouring Finland. In addition to the two Scandinavian countries, NATO itself will also benefit greatly from the accession - once all hurdles have been cleared and all 30 existing NATO member states have given their approval. Both countries bring modern and highly trained armed forces to the alliance, whose respective priorities...

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Sweden's navy on course for the future

Sweden is currently experiencing a profound change in security policy, which will strengthen the country's navy in the long term after years of cutbacks and make it a valuable partner in the NATO alliance. Russia's aggressive behaviour towards Ukraine since 2014 has heralded an early turnaround in security policy in Sweden, which is also making itself felt in the country's navy. The revitalisation of missile-based coastal protection by the naval infantry in 2016, the re-conscription of conscripts to the navy since 2018, the reopening of the Muskö naval base the following year and the planned relocation of the naval staff here this year are just a few signs of a security policy upheaval in Sweden.

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Six partners, one mission

The Navy at the Maritime Security Centre Cuxhaven The Maritime Security Centre (MSZ) in Cuxhaven is the result of a wide range of considerations to increase maritime security and pool expertise. The federal structure of the Federal Republic of Germany requires complex and creative solutions in order to be able to react effectively and efficiently when necessary. Various concepts have been repeatedly thought through and implemented in stages. Two coastguard centres were established in Neustadt and Cuxhaven following a decision by the German parliament in 1994. Subsequently, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Interior decided to set up a coordination network for law enforcement forces, although this did not constitute a separate office. The interior ministers of the five coastal states agreed...

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