NATO
Allied Maritime Command
December 12, 2022

Standing NATO Maritime Group Two Commander Meets with Allied Carrier Strike Group Commanders At Sea

The Commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) met with the commanders of three different Allied carrier strike groups aboard U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush on Nov. 23 for senior level maritime discussions.

Commander, SNMG2 U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Scott Sciretta met with U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Dennis Velez, commander, George H.W. Bush CSG; Italian Navy Rear Admiral Vincenzo Montanaro, commander, Italian Maritime Forces and the Italian Carrier Strike Group aboard ITS Cavour; and French Navy Rear Admiral Christophe Cluzel, commander, French Navy CSG aboard FS Charles de Gaulle.

…The meeting…reflected the level of focus and priority from NATO and Allied nations on the Euro-Atlantic Area.

[Sciretta said] “Interoperability of thought enhances our integration as NATO Allies and allows us to deliver the robust operational effects we need….The trust the four of us commanders share is built on long standing relationships. These relationships underpin our ability to interoperate and interchange forces throughout the theatre.”

“Currently, we have Italian frigates embedded with both the George H.W. Bush and French strike groups participating alongside our Allies in their daily operations, and last month the Italian Navy fully integrated NATO’s Standing Naval Forces Group Two units into our major bi-annual fleet exercise Mare Aperto 22-2. (Carrier Strike Group 10, 2022)”

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“Displaying the awesome power and lethality the Alliance brings to the fight is one of the surest ways to deter aggression,” said Velez….

SNMG2 and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG2) are currently operating in the Mediterranean Sea along with the three CSGs. Additionally, the U.S Navy Gerald R. Ford CSG aboard aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and the U.K. Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth are operating in the North Atlantic Ocean and North Sea. Finally, the U.K. Royal Navy’s Littoral Readiness Group led by HMS Albion recently transited from the Eastern Mediterranean into the Ionian Sea….