A group of NATO ships SNMG2 (Standing NATO Martime Group 2) will visit the Croatian Navy (HRM) and the City of Split as part of their visit to Croatia from March 12 to 16, and a joint exercise at sea is also planned, it was announced on Saturday from Ministry of Defence.
As stated, the group includes the command ship, the destroyer RM USS “James e Williams” (DDG-95), the Greek frigate RM HS “Psara” (F-454), the Turkish frigate RM TCG “Barbados” (F-244), frigate of the Netherlands RM HNLMS “De Zeven Provincien” (F-802) and frigate of the Canadian RM HMCS “Fredericton” (F-337).
All ships will be moored in the Split City Port, and the group of NATO ships is commanded by Commodore Scott Sciretta (RM USS).
– During the visit, a joint exercise at sea with members of the Croatian Navy is planned. International military cooperation activities are an opportunity for joint exercises, exchange of knowledge, skills and experiences in order to improve interoperability. In addition to joint training, sports competitions are also planned – the Ministry of Defense announced.
On Monday, Split-Dalmatia Prefect Blaženko Boban will receive the commander of the NATO group of warships, American Rear Admiral Michael Sciretta, and a meeting has also been arranged in the city office.
This group of NATO ships has visited Croatian cities independently before, but now it is in full force and this visit is one of the largest.
For example, in 2007, during the Noble Midas 07 military exercise at the training grounds near Knin and Slunj, and at the Zemunik and Divulje air bases, 29 combat aircraft, 23 helicopters, nine aircraft and 800 marines took part, and more than 40 ships and six submarines,