The frigate 'Almirante Juan de Borbón' starts her integration into NATO's Standing Maritime Group 1

•  The Navy ship will participate in SNMG1 until mid-July.

 The frigate 'Almirante Juan de Borbón' has left the Military Arsenal of Ferrol to begin her integration into NATO's Standing Naval Groupi No. 1 (SNMG-1).

SNMG-1 operates mainly in northern European waters and aims at deterrence, collective defence, naval presence and increased interoperability among navies.

This deployment reinforces the commitment that Spain and the Armed Forces have with NATO, providing maritime presence and increasing interoperability between different coalition countries.

Maritime Command in charge of the Naval Forces, which will give its orders aboard the frigate, is composed mostly of Spanish officers, commanded by a Spanish rear admiral. The handover will take place in the middle of the month in the port of Wilhemshaven, Germany.

For this deployment, in addition to the crew, the frigate has on board an Embarked Air Unit (UNAEMB) from the 10th Aircraft Squadron of the Navy, consisting of an SH60B helicopter, pilots and aircraft maintenance personnel; a Marine Infantry Security Operational Team (EOS) from the “Tercio de Levante”.

The frigate 'Almirante Juan de Borbón' is the second of the 'Álvaro de Bazán' (F-100) class and is part of the 31st Surface Squadron. The ship is a multi-role escort being one of the most advanced in Europe due to its state-of-the-art capabilities. Although its AEGIS combat system makes anti-aircraft warfare its strong point, it is capable of defending a naval force against a variety of threats, whether air, surface or submarine, in high, medium or low intensity scenarios. It can also tackle other types of missions, such as crisis management and prevention, humanitarian aid operations and naval seizure, among others.

The frigate, which is currently sailing in demand for Wilhenshanven, will remain integrated with SNMG-1 until early July.