Change of flag in the Aegean

Frigate Schleswig-Holstein takes over from frigate Lübeck

Frigate Schleswig-Holstein in Souda Bay

On 1 September 2021, the contingent commander of the 19th German contingent of NATO Support Aegean, Captain Stephan Küttler, carried out the flagship change. The frigate Schleswig-Holstein under the command of frigate captain Andreas Mückusch is now the new lead ship. The frigate Lübeck, under the command of FKpt Kai Röckel, has happily embarked on its homeward transit to Wilhelmshaven. But she will continue to be challenged and will not get a long break to catch her breath. "The Schleswig-Holstein is highly motivated after successfully completing operational training and the commander and crew are looking forward to the deployment with confidence," said the contingent commander, Captain Stephan Küttler, who also praised the constructive cooperation between all stakeholders in the region.

Background

The NATO deployment in the Aegean was adopted in February 2016 on the initiative of the German government. The aim was to reduce the flow of refugees through the Aegean Sea. The mission is not mandated by the Bundestag because no sovereign tasks are being carried out. The German units create situation reports for the Greek and Turkish coastguards as well as FRONTEX. The units are usually deployed from Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), which otherwise fulfils its duties in the Mediterranean. From 2016 to 2017, Germany provided the commander of SNMG2, including the current Inspector of the Navy, Vice Admiral Kay Achim Schönbach. Since 2017, a separate task force has been formed with the aforementioned Task Unit 01, which has been continuously led by a German sea captain ever since. The current contingent commander is 16.

Frigate Lübeck sets off on her voyage home

The intention to take action against illegal migration and criminal smuggling gangs has not gone without criticism. The accusation that Greece was actively combating migrants with so-called "pushbacks" and thus committing human rights violations was widely reported in the media. The German Navy has been accused of looking the other way and thereby making itself complicit, e.g. by the Mare Liberum association, a collective of activists who also sail the Aegean with their own ship of the same name. This is a former Dutch trawler, 18 metres long, built in 1917 and sailing under the German flag with its home port in Berlin. A "Weltoffen Forum" has formed in Bonn, which also voices criticism. The refugee crisis, the drama on Lesbos and the mutual accusations between Greece and Turkey make the German contribution a sensitive issue.

Photos: German Navy/Küttler