Category: Security policy

The Gulf of Guinea

Posted by | 24 Nov 2020 | , | 0

Current and future engagement of the European Union The Council of Foreign Ministers of the European Union adopted a "Gulf of Guinea Strategy" in 2014 and an action plan (time horizon: 2015-2020) to implement this strategy in March 2015. Various EU Council working groups were involved in the development of the strategy and action plan under the leadership of the European External Action Service (EEAS), which comprises 67 individual actions. There was close coordination with international partners, in particular with the United Nations, three regional African organisations and a total of 19 African coastal states. Although the EU does not (yet) play a central role in the Gulf of Guinea, it wants and needs to become more active there with its strategy and action plan, using its rich array of civilian and military instruments. There was a clear need for action to develop a strategy and action plan for the Gulf of Guinea: piracy, armed robbery, human trafficking and smuggling (people, drugs, weapons), illegal fishing, illegal diversion (oil bunkering) and theft of oil, a highly "toxic mix" of criminal activities. Some facts: Piracy activity in the Gulf of Guinea accounts for between 15-19 % of attacks worldwide. In 2014, 24 incidents were reported, compared to three in the Indian Ocean and eight cases of brutal violence against crews, nine cases of use of firearms and 66 crew members taken hostage. This compares to none in the Indian Ocean, 28 in the Strait of Malacca and 43 in the South China Sea (source: International Maritime Organisation, IMO)....

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Wake-up call for the navy

Wake-up call for the navy

Posted by | 24 Nov 2020 | , , | 0

Poland's new naval strategy A maritime strategy is a comprehensive orientation of all aspects of national power to achieve specific political goals in a given situation through a certain degree of control at sea (John Hattendorf). National naval strategies provide important guidance for the concrete planning of naval procurement. At the same time, published naval strategies are important instruments of deterrence, as they inform friend and foe of the intentions involved. During the Cold War, the Baltic Sea could be seen as an important battlefield in a future confrontation between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Since the 1990s, the Baltic NATO members and their partners have viewed the Baltic Sea as a...

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F125 - The road to operational readiness

Posted by | 24 Nov 2020 | , , | 0

Modern and innovative - After project planning and many years of production, the testing period for the "Baden-Württemberg" began in April of this year with the first sea voyage, the so-called shipyard test voyage, and thus the proof of the required performance capability began. At the end of the two-year process, in addition to the usability of the frigate "Baden-Württemberg", a statement will also be made for the entire Class 125. The upcoming trial phase will not only concern the material and operational aspects, but will also include a review of the assumptions made and technical support for the multi-crew model. The milestone reached is reason enough to take another look at the Class 125 frigate project from the perspective of the Navy from the following aspects. The operational load for the German Navy has increased steadily in recent times. The fleet is simultaneously providing units for four different mandated missions. In addition, there are obligations within the framework of NATO's Standing Maritime Groups and participation in joint exercises. This is accompanied by the simultaneous decommissioning of units, such as the Class 122 frigates and the Class 143A fast patrol boats. The number of platforms available for operational tasks is also influenced by the extensive measures to maintain the operational readiness of Class 123 frigates and the hardware regeneration for Class 124. This makes it all the more important that the four Class 125 frigates are delivered as quickly as possible and on time, and that they are available for operational tasks. This article will describe the path to this goal and point out...

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Operation Irini: Frigate "Hamburg" in troubled waters

Posted by | 11 Sep 2020 | , , | 0

At the beginning of August, the frigate Hamburg left for the Mediterranean for almost five months. The crew is facing a tricky deployment, which will most likely not involve any shore leave due to the coronavirus. To date, the German Navy has participated in Operation Irini with a P-3C Orion maritime reconnaissance aircraft and carried out sixteen missions in this context. As a result of the Berlin Libya Conference in January 2020, the EU found a way to carry out a mission in the central Mediterranean at the end of March. This involves monitoring and enforcing the UN-backed arms embargo against Libya. Political agreement on the approach - the operation is seen by some as a lever against Turkish efforts to gain a foothold in Libya - proved difficult. In the end, a surveillance mission with ships, aeroplanes and satellites was agreed. In order to be able to react flexibly to the arrival of migrants, the commander of Eunavfor Med Irini can decide to position the units away from the transport routes between Libya and Italy. Overall, the operational area has been shifted further eastwards - to the eastern part of the central Mediterranean. The operation is also intended to help disrupt the business model of human trafficking networks Irini is also intended to prevent the illegal export of oil from Libya. From the legacy of the Eunavfor Med Operation Sophia, the training of the Libyan coastguard and navy became part of the catalogue of tasks for Irini. However, this...

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