NATO
Allied Maritime Command
March 24, 2022

NATO Maritime Command hosts annual Maritime Operational Commanders’ Conference

NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) hosted Allied- and Partner-nation fleet commanders, operational directors, and other senior leaders for the Maritime Operational Commanders’ Conference (MOCC) 2022 at its headquarters in Northwood, March 21-23.

The annual event was designed to foster open discussion to strengthen cooperation and cohesion of effort across the NATO’s maritime domain.

A key element of this year’s conference was discussion about deterrence and defense of Allied nations particularly in the frame of the Alliance’s current posture. Participants discussed ways to improve enhanced vigilance coordination in addition to roles and missions of NATO’s maritime forces, including Operation Sea Guardian.

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“As the maritime operations hub for NATO, MARCOM enacts the decisions made by NATO’s 30 member nations.”

NATO’s four standing maritime groups are committed to the maritime component of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), which is part of the NATO Response Force (NRF). In 2021, the groups conducted 21 high-end training exercises, more than 11,000 hours of patrols in the Aegean Sea, spent 286 days in the Baltic Sea, and 99 days in the Black Sea….Operation Sea Guardian included 28 direct support and 187 associated support ships and submarines that worked together to provide continuous maritime security operations in the Mediterranean Sea.

Photo: NATO Allied Maritime Command