“Mistral” submarine, 26 days of fighting against terrorism

·         The submarine´s crew has taken part into the NATO operation Sea Guardian, under the control of the Operations Command

For 26 days, the submarine “Mistral” has taken part into the NATO Operation “Sea Guardian”, which is aimed at maintaining the MSA (Maritime Situation Awareness) or knowledge of the marine environment in order to dissuade and fight against terrorism, as well as to mitigate other threats in the Mediterranean Sea and within the proximities of the Strait of Gibraltar.

During these weeks, the “Mistral” has identified and reported more than 1,100 merchant ships, being some of them suspicious. It must be stressed out the advantage entailed by the participation of this submarine. Its discretion and capacity to operate without being seen allow to avoid modifying the established patterns on the sea, and catching those who act outside the law.

In order to observe commercial patterns and potential illegal activities carried out in these waters, the information of interest obtained on ships and facilities can be of great utility. This serves to demonstrate NATO´s strong commitment to help to dissuade and hinder any terrorist action or action supporting terrorism. Spanish commitment with the Alliance, and in special, with this operation, is evident with the annual deployment of two submarines to meet these objectives.