The Spanish Navy's Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment vessel Patiño has joined NATO Standing NATO Maritime Group One

• For a two-month period, the ship will provide aeromedical evacuation capability, in addition to its embarked medical facility, to the NATO naval group led by Spain

The Spanish Navy  Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment vessel Patiño has integrated into Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG-1), currently under Spanish command, joining the Spanish frigate Almirante Juan de Borbón.

This is the first time that Patiño provides aeromedical evacuation (MEDEVAC) capability to SNMG-1, complementing the medical support offered by its embarked medical facility. During the two months in which the ship will remain assigned to the group, units of the force will be able to evacuate critically their critically ill patients under optimal safety conditions whenever required.

Following the embarkation of an H-135 NIVAL helicopter from the 12th Naval Aircraft Squadron, configured for MEDEVAC missions, the ship’s medical staff and the flight crews completed a training programme focused on the operational employment of this capability.

Once stabilised onboard the aircraft, and depending on the patient’s medical condition and distance to shore, casualties may be evacuated either to a shore-based medical facility or transferred to Patiño’s onboard hospital. The ship’s medical facility is equipped with an operating theatre, X-ray room, laboratories, a sterilisation room, and telemedicine systems. It also includes four intensive care unit beds and four additional general ward beds.

Under the command of Commander Ramón González-Cela Echevarría, the Patiño sailed from its home port at the Ferrol Naval Base and transited the North Atlantic en route to Bergen (Norway) to integrate into SNMG-1. The ship contributes more than 170 personnel to the group, including the ship’s crew, the embarked air detachment from the 12th Squadron, a Marine Infantry Force Protection Team, and specialised personnel, including a medical officer and a dental officer.

SNMG: Spain’s Commitment to NATO

Spain currently leads NATO Standing Naval Group One (SNMG-1). The NATO Standing Naval Forces (SNF), which comprises two Standing NATO Maritime Groups (SNMG) and two Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Groups (SNMCMG), provide NATO with a permanent maritime presence.

SNMG-1 operates under the operational control of Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) with the mission of maintaining a persistent maritime presence and a high-readiness response capability, while reinforcing collective defence, deterrence and maritime security in key areas such as the North Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

This deployment underscores Spain’s and the Spanish Navy’s firm commitment to the Alliance, as well as solidarity with NATO Allies, thereby contributing to deterrence and collective defence at and from the maritime domain.