Change at the head of Mission Flotilla 1

On Tuesday, 17 January 2023 at 13:30, Rear Admiral Jürgen zur Mühlen (62), Head of Operations at Naval Command, will hand over command of Operational Flotilla 1 from Flotilla Admiral Henning Faltin (56) to Flotilla Admiral Sascha Helge Rackwitz (50).

Faltin has been Commander of the flotilla and Director of the Centre of Excellence for Operations in Confined and Shallow Waters (COE CSW) since September 2021 and will subsequently become Military Advisor to the European Representation for the USA and Canada in Washington.

"The first half of my time in command was characterised by the pandemic, which continues to this day. Since February 2022 and Russia's attack on Ukraine, the range of tasks of Operational Flotilla 1 has been significantly focussed on the Baltic Sea and its approaches. The Baltic Sea moved from the marginal sea into the focus of NATO and its maritime forces. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the men and women in the units and on the staff of the task force flotilla. But also to all the other services with whom we co-operate on a daily basis, the political forces in the country, the cities and municipalities. Without you, what we have achieved together would not have been possible. I would like to mention, for example, the help in old people's homes and in the vaccination centres, but also the deployment of units and forces with highly motivated servicewomen and men to missions, mission-related projects or exercises worldwide, always at very short notice. I enjoyed being your commander and can only say: 'Thank you' and 'BRAVO ZULU' - well done!"

Flotilla Admiral Rackwitz is moving from the Ministry of Defence back to Kiel, where he was previously Chief of Staff in Operational Flotilla 1. "I am looking forward to leading the flotilla in these turbulent times. Because I know the flotilla, I look forward to the tasks ahead of us with a great deal of respect, but above all with confidence," said the designated commander.

Background information

In the Operational flotilla 1 serve 4,500 soldiers and staff. Four seagoing squadrons, two land-based formations and three naval base commands belong to the flotilla. The flotilla headquarters, the 3rd minesweeper squadron and the support squadron are based in Kiel. Eckernförde is home to the 1st Submarine Squadron, the Naval Special Forces Command and the Naval Battalion. The units of the 1st Corvette Squadron have their home port in Rostock-Warnemünde.

The Operational flotilla 1 is geared towards naval warfare in marginal seas and coastal waters and combines many specialisations - from land target combat, mine warfare and defence, armed control of ships and the protection of warships and merchant vessels to submarine hunting, support for evacuation operations and the deployment of special forces. The units are involved in many missions abroad. This applies not only to maritime operations such as the VJTF (M) in the North and Baltic Seas, in the Mediterranean, UNIFIL in Lebanon or Operation GAZELLE in Niger. In addition, the units regularly take part in NATO intervention force operations or exercises and can be found at national and international manoeuvres. In short, this flotilla is the "all-round tool" of the German Navy and is deployed worldwide.

The Centre of Excellence for Operations in Confined and Shallow Waters ("Centre of Excellence for Operations in Marginal Seas") is a NATO think tank. It develops new operational approaches, adapts existing concepts and provides impetus for new technologies and systems in co-operation with research, development and industry. The centre has earned an outstanding reputation for its conception and organisation of international conferences and events on maritime security, including as part of the Munich Security Conference. The COE CSW works closely with the flotilla staff in the same building at the naval base in Kiel. The Commander of Operational Flotilla 1 is also the Director of the Centre of Excellence.