The F-80 frigate ‘Navarra’ has just returned to her homeport in Rota Naval Base after having participated in NATO’s Operation ‘Sea Guardian’. During her deployment, and after a brief port call in Cartagena (SE Spain), the frigate was under command of MARCOM (Allied Maritime Command).
As part of the Operation, the ‘Navarra’ assumed command of ‘Task Group TG 440.03’ in charge of issuing the orders to be obeyed by the other participating units deployed in the Western Mediterranean, including maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) from the Spanish Air Force, the OPV ‘Rayo’, German Navy surface vessels and units from the ‘DEDALO-24’ Expeditionary Group.
During the Operation, the frigate carried out several friendly visits to merchant ships and trawlers to gather information on shipping patters, possible illegal activities in the region, and the presence of non-NATO naval units in the area. For those tasks, the ship had embarked a Special Operations Team, a Marine Corps’ Canine Unit and an interpreter.
Operation ‘Sea Guardian’, as part of the Atlantic Alliance framework, focuses on maritime security operations, including the fight against terrorism and the strengthening of MSO capabilities in that specific region.