The acting Defence Minister, Margarita Robles, travelled to Ferrol (A Coruña) to bid farewell, together with the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral General Antonio Piñeiro, to the frigate ‘Méndez Núñez’ on the occasion of its deployment in the SNMG-2 operation of the NATO naval force, where “Spain is playing a great role”.
The minister wished her staff good luck and the best of success, “because their successes are those of Spain”, a serious ally and committed to its Alliance partners, currently carrying out notable deployments by air, sea and land, “which gives an image of the importance that Spain has in the NATO sphere”, she stated.
The ‘Méndez Núñez’, with a crew of 232 troops under the command of Commander David Díaz-Caneja, joins Operation ‘Noble Shield’ in the Mediterranean, from August 18 to December 22.
Robles has received at the Combat Information Centre (CIC), an explanation on the preparation of the ships that are preparing for deployment, by the commander of the 31 Escuadrilla of Escorts, frigate captain Jesús Viñas, and another on the tasks and capabilities of the ship oriented to the multinational operation, offered by Commander Díaz-Caneja.
In the talk, the minister was interested in the dynamics of work and decision-making in these groups, the morale of the endowments and the specific type of activities they are going to carry out.
The main mission of the operation is to give NATO maximum visibility and presence to achieve deterrence effects without escalating the situation. To this end, reinforced active surveillance work is carried out on units of the Russian navy and training activities in the Mediterranean Sea area.
The main objective of this integration is to show Spain’s commitment to NATO and defend the interests of Spain and its allies, as the minister has clearly stated in her words to the crew.
“In the commitment we have with NATO for and to work for peace, the Spanish Navy is very cutting edge,” Robles stressed, adding that “you are the best ambassadors for our country.” “It is a satisfaction to know that one more year the Spanish Navy will be giving the best it has, its professionalism, generosity and dedication.”
In her words, Robles has also referred to Ferrol as “a city that is very close to the Navy”, and “to which I feel very linked and close”, where the Frigates-110 are being built and the F-110s are being modernised, a firm commitment by the Ministry of Defence for innovation and job creation.
After the group photo, the minister spoke with part of the crew and asked them about the mission, and was interested in how their families are doing, to whom she conveyed her love and appreciation.
More than 15 years at sea
The ‘Méndez Núñez’ frigate (F-104), delivered to the Navy in 2006, is the fourth ship of the 5 F-100 class frigates, with a modern design and great military capabilities, of which its AEGIS combat system and SPY radar in air defence.
The ship has participated in multiple missions and operations, including the rescue of Spanish fishing vessels (‘Playa de Baquio’ and ‘Alacrana’) in 2008 and 2009, respectively, in Operation ‘Unified Protection’ (Libya) in 2011, in Operation ‘Atalanta’ (Somalia) in 2012-13, integration into various SNMGs and cooperative deployment in 2019 that ended with a trip around the world.
SNMGs are NATO’s Permanent Naval Groups, which provide a permanent maritime presence for the Alliance in the Euro-Atlantic maritime area. In total, there are four multinational naval groups of this nature: two of escort ships (SNMG 1 and 2) and two of countermine measurement units (SNMCMG 1 and 2).
Currently, the SNMG concept has changed towards that of high availability forces, which means that its action and management are more flexible. Spain, which is fully integrated into NATO procedures, has repeatedly assumed command of these naval groups.
After the visit to the frigate, Minister Robles went to the Navy Socio-Cultural Sports Centre ‘El Montón, where she shared lunch with authorities, including the Chief of Defence Staff, Teodoro E. López Calderón, and the general secretary director of the National Intelligence Centre (CNI), Esperanza Casteleiro.
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