Standing Naval Group 1 is one of the Atlantic Alliance’s permanent naval forces and operates mainly in Northern European waters. Its missions focus on deterrence, collective defence, naval presence and strengthening interoperability among allied navies in a demanding strategic environment.
For the coming months, the task force staff will operate from the Spanish frigate under the command of Rear Admiral Joaquín Ruiz Escagedo, with the staff largely composed of Spanish personnel. The formal change of command is scheduled to take place in the coming days in the port of Den Helder.
The ship’s commanding officer, Commander Miguel Romero, said that “the crew is facing this challenge with professionalism and a strong sense of responsibility”. He noted that “assuming the role of flagship of a multinational task force entails greater operational demands on a daily basis, especially in planning, coordination, and communications, but the frigate and its crew are fully prepared,” adding that “the integration of the Staff on board will proceed smoothly and demonstrates the Armada’s ability to exercise command within the allied sphere.”
Highlighting Spain’s long-standing contribution to NATO naval forces, Captain Jesús González-Cela, Commander of the 31st Surface Squadron, recalled that “the first Spanish frigate to participate in a Standing Naval Group was precisely the ‘Almirante Juan de Borbón’ in 2005, joining SNMG-2 in the Mediterranean, coinciding with the creation of these standing groups.” He added that “Spain, through its Armada, has routinely participated in these naval forces for the last few decades.”
The deployment follows an intensive preparation period, which Romero described by saying that “the process is very demanding, requiring maintaining a high level of readiness in all areas of the ship simultaneously,” and that the certification “attests to the frigate’s ability to operate in complex scenarios, integrate into multinational forces, and assume command responsibilities.” González-Cela also underlined that “commanding a naval group requires an embarked Staff, which implies greater responsibility and the need for additional accommodation areas, as well as appropriate command and control systems.”
In addition to its crew, the frigate has embarked an SH-60B helicopter from the Navy’s 10th Aircraft Squadron and a Marine Corps Operational Security Team to support the mission. According to González-Cela, “the operational readiness and unit certification process carried out by the Armada, along with participation in international exercises, ensures that the crews are capable of effectively leading multinational forces,” and he added that “commanding these forces entails a higher level of commitment that brings considerable prestige within NATO, something of which Spanish society can be very proud.”
