Minesweeper mission boat "Rottweil" deploys to NATO

From a press release by the Rostock Naval Command:

On Wednesday, 11 January 2023 at 10 a.m., the mine countermeasures boat "Rottweil", which belongs to the 3rd Mine Detection Squadron, will provide the German contribution to the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1, or SNMCMG 1 for short, for the next few months. The boat and crew are therefore also part of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) for the North and Baltic Seas.

In addition to the missions mandated by the Bundestag, the German Navy also participates on an ongoing basis in NATO's four multinational naval organisations - such as SNMCMG 1. The Navy permanently contributes ships and boats to these organisations, which have been established for decades - it is Germany's obligation to the Alliance even in times of peace. As they are regionally limited, they form rapidly available maritime response forces with which the Alliance can operate flexibly in the event of crises or conflicts. The naval units are part of the NATO Response Force (NRF), and in this formation they are the naval component of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force - the spearhead of NATO, which is permanently ready for deployment. Two of the formations are capable of protecting large areas of sea lanes, while the other two specialise in defending against sea mines.

Under the command of Lieutenant Captain Oliver Kiessling (31), the crew of the "Rottweil" will meet up with the rest of the NATO group in Oslo. This will be followed by manoeuvres in the North Sea before continuing towards the English Channel. It is not yet clear when the boat will return to its home port of Kiel.