Exercise Good Hope III commences
SAS Amatola receives the refuelling probe during a RAS between FGS Berlin & SAS Amatola - Image: SA Navy
25 February 2008 dawned a clear and sunny day in the naval harbour of Naval Base Simon’s Town. It is here that Task Group 501, comprising of South African and German Naval vessels commenced on EXERCISE GOOD HOPE III. EXERCISE GOOD HOPE III is a multinational exercise between the German Armed Forces (Navy and Air Force) and the SANDF (mainly the Navy and Air Force) taking place in the Cape Town, Simon’s Town and Overberg area.
Our day started at 0800B when the Officer Commanding (OC) Captain Michael Girsa, briefed his ships company on the flight deck. The OC welcomed all the new members that had joined the ship for the Exercise. He furthermore passed his appreciation to the ships company for a job well done in getting the ship ready to sail as scheduled. The OC spoke of the forthcoming days’ events and how only good habits would help through this exercise. After a meticulous final check, the naval tugs assisted helped this operationally ready warship out of port. SAS AMATOLA sailed at 0900B.
At 1145B, ‘hands to flying stations’ was piped. An Oryx Helicopter from AFB Ysterplaat landed on the flight deck while SAS AMATOLA sailed out of False Bay. SAS AMATOLA plays host to the Commander Task Group (CTG) 501.02 Captain Steven-Jennings and his staff. The Task Force is divided into two Task Groups, with Captain Michael Budde of the Federal German Navy as CTG 501.01 which comprises of FGS HAMBURG, FGS KÖLN, FGS BERLIN, FGS WESTERWALD and task group 501.02 comprising the SAS DRAKENSBERG, SAS ISLANDWANA, SAS AMATOLA, SAS GALESHEWE, SAS ISAAC DHYOBA, SAS UMKOMAAS.
Similar exercises have been conducted twice in the past, between the Armed Forces of the two countries. These exercises are the largest undertaken by the German Defence Force outside of its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) obligations. Good relationships exist between Germany and South Africa, not only on the military side but also politically and economically. The SAS AMATOLA is expecting to exercise drills and evolutions enabling training of the new personnel that have joined the ship in the art of modern naval warfare. It is expected that the crew will gain a lot of understanding and skills from this exercise. The task group will be alongside over the weekends with our first port of call being the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town for some much needed rest and recovery. Until then the five day passage will be filled exercises and training.
Source: www.navy.mil.za
Pictures of SNMG1 in Cape Town
There was a hive of naval activity at Cape Town's Victoria & Alfred Warterfront during the weekend of 1 and 2 September 2007. Six Nato warships visited South Africa for a five day stay as part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1). SNMG1 is one of four joint NATO maritime task forces.
The vessels are:
- A1442 - FGS Spessart (Germany)
- F805 - HNLMS Evertsen (Netherlands)
- F355 - Olfert Fischer (Danmark)
- CG60 - USS Normandy (USA)
- F331 - NRP Alvares Cabral(Portugal)
- FFH333 - HMCS Toronto (Canada)
The USS Normandy and the HMCS Toronto moored at the V & A Waterfront, seen here on September 1 - Image: Louis Vosloo
The Olfert Fischer next to the NRP Alavres Cabral moored at the V & A Waterfront, seen here on September 1 - Image: Louis Vosloo
Aviation participation was dissappointing, with only one naval helicopter, that of a Lynx Mk 95 on the Alvares Cabral.
In the absence of the official unveiling of thenew South African Super Lynx,the South African public was treated to a glimpse of what is to come when the SAAFs equivalent is officially introduced in a few weeks time.
The Super Lynx Mk 95 displayed on the Alvares Cabral has been around for some time. This example, with the serial number 19204, (constructor's number 376, ex ZH582) was delivered to the Esquadrilha de Helicopteros da Marinha in November 1993 - Image: Louis Vosloo
The Super Lynx - Image: Louis Vosloo
The Super Lynx - Image: Louis Vosloo
So from the Cape Town Aviation enthusiasts its a big obrigado to the Portuguese Navy for showing off their Lynx!
Source: airpic.co.za
SA submarine outwits Nato force
A lone South African submarine left some Nato commanders with red faces on Tuesday as it "sank" all the ships of the Nato Maritime Group engaged in exercises with the South African Navy off the Cape coast.
The S101 -- or the SAS Manthatisi -- not only evaded detection by a joint Nato and South African Navy search party consisting of several ships combing the search area with radar and sonar, it also "sank" all the ships taking part in the fleet.
At several times during the exercise -- which lasted throughout Monday night and Tuesday morning -- a red square lit up the screens where the surface ships thought the submarine was. But it remained elusive.
This gave Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota something to brag about when he landed on the SAS Amatola on Tuesday to speak to the media
"To be able to frustrate detection by Nato nations is no mean achievement; it speaks of the excellence of the equipment we acquired for this purpose," Lekota said.
And while this left one of the world's strongest military alliances frustrated, it was also a sign that the group had a capable partner in Africa, Lekota said.
"With sustained inter-operability with foreign forces such as Nato, we are well positioned to respond to any unforeseen circumstances that may confront either ourselves or other regions," he said.
Lekota was quite clear that a working relationship with Nato was desired.
"They have a partner of reliable capability because we are forging working relations here. We are building mutual confidence for what can be done and what we can do together as Nato and South Africa, or as Nato and Southern African nations," Lekota said.
These sentiments were echoed by the commander of the Nato maritime group, Rear Admiral Mahon, who said the deployment would see the group sailing right around Africa.
"I can't speak for what the future will hold but certainly this was valuable. Africa is a strategic continent. The freedom of the seas, energy, security, they are all critical issue to Nato countries," he said.
The exercises would continue till the end of the week and would include, ship-to-ship refuelling, search-and-seizure exercises and various other scenarios faced by modern navies.
Source: Mail & Guardian Online
Nato, SA in naval-warfare exercise
Forget the blazing guns of yesteryear -- these days naval warfare is a high-tech and sophisticated operation.
This became clear on Monday as an exercise involving Nato warships and the South African Navy got under way off the South African coast.
On board the Portuguese Navy's Avaras Cabral, an Augusta Westland Helicopter similar to those carried by South African Navy frigates is loaded with sensors and other detection equipment.
The ship is engaged in anti-submarine warfare.
"Once we found the submarine we simply load the helicopter with a torpedo and drop it on the sub," Lieutenant Miguel Pinheiro Somoej explains. So much for looking the enemy in the eye, swinging a sword like the pirates of the olden days.
This is also a frightening thought for the crew of the South African Navy submarine S101, because while the submarine might be operating in South African waters, it is being hunted by a Portuguese frigate.
The Portuguese vessel is one of six Nato warships currently engaged in a naval-warfare exercise with the South African Navy.
It is the first time that South Africa's new submarine and two of the four new frigates -- the SAS Amatola and the SAS Isandlwana -- have been involved in a combined exercise.
Other South African Navy ships as well as aircraft of the South African Air Force will also be involved in taking on Nato's Maritime Group One.
Besides the Portuguese, frigates from Canada and The Netherlands as well as ships from Germany, the United States and Denmark also form part of the Nato flotilla.
The Nato group is travelling around the African continent making port calls at several African nations, but it is only with the SA Navy that it is conducting full naval exercises.
"It is expected that these exercises will inspire mutual confidence and respect between Nato maritime forces and the South African Navy, allowing for even greater cooperation in possible future combined exercises or operations," a Nato statement on the exercise explains.
"The deployment aims to demonstrate the alliance's continuing ability to respond to emerging crisis situations on a global scale and foster close links with regional navies and other maritime organisations," Nato said.
But while the exercise might have a conventional naval warfare flavour to it, it also includes boarding of ships and other exercises that would help the South Africans and Nato cope with the real threat in African waters these days.
Piracy, armed robbery and terrorism activities on the high seas are increasingly becoming a threat.
The International Maritime Bureau reports that piracy and armed robbery increased by 37% in the second quarter of 2007 compared with that of 2006.
The total number of attacks in the first six months of 2007 was 126, many in African waters.
In Nigeria, 19 incidents have been reported, including the boarding of 15 vessels and one hijacking. Forty crew members were kidnapped and 24 taken hostage.
In Somalia, 17 incidents were reported. Eight vessels were hijacked and 85 crew members taken hostage.
Another sign of the increasing importance of a security operation in African waters comes from the US Navy, which plans from 2008 to have a "big-deck" presence in the Gulf of Guinea.
"My aspiration is to have a ship there 365 days a year," said Admiral Harry Ulrich, commander of US Naval Forces Europe and Africa.
The South African Navy has long held the position that its new fleet would be used for anti-piracy and anti-poaching operations.
The training with Nato is its first big joint operation to discover how this might be carried out.
Source: Mail & Guardian Online
Nato warships after intel on Africa pirates
SA Navy in multinational flotilla.
NATO warships are scouting the coast of Africa on a mission that could lay the groundwork for action by the alliance against pirates off Somalia.
The six ships are taking part in manoeuvres with the South African Navy as part of a circumnavigation of the continent, the first by a Nato force.
Admiral James Burnell-Nugent, commander of the Nato flotilla, said yesterday that the Africa mission was intended to get the alliance’s maritime forces more involved outside their traditional arena but should not be seen as “expansion”.
He said: “It’s got nothing to do with oil or the war on terror.”
The intention was to improve Nato’s ability to protect trade routes and to increase its knowledge of “the good guys and the bad guys” in the region.
Burnell-Nugent said the “bad guys” included human traffickers and pirates operating off the Horn of Africa.
Asked if the mission were a prelude to direct Nato action against the pirates, who have raided ships carrying food aid to the region, he said: “That depends on Nato’s resolve ... but if you don’t understand what’s going on, you haven’t got the knowledge from which these issues can be addressed.”
The chief of the South African Navy, Vice-Admiral Johannes Mudimu, said the Nato exercise would “contribute to bringing our newly acquired vessels to operational readiness”.
The Nato ships are from Canada, Denmark, Germany, the US, the Netherlands and Portugal.
Source: The Times
First Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 Cape Town Picture
HNLMS Evertsen (The Netherlands), USS Normandy (Flagship, United States), HMCS Toronto (Canada), HDMS Olfert Fischer (Denmark) and NRP Alvares Cabral (Portugal) - Image: Stuart Soden (www.flightzone.co.za and www.avcom.co.za)
Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 Cape Town Arrival Dates 2
The SNMG1 will arrive in Cape Town on 28 August and will leave again on 4 September.
Informed Forum Post: Analysis of Planned SNMG1/SAN Exercises
Please note the following is an opinion piece posted on an Internet forum:
It's definitely a NATO mission, with no UN involvement whatsoever. With regards to the NATO Treaty, the way I read it is that it does not prohibit exercises and operations outside the north Atlantic area, but rather it specifies that such actions have be undertaken for the sake of the immediate security of NATO's members. Thus, Article 5 can only be invoked if one of the NATO members are attacked in the North Atlantic area.
That's why, for example, the Argentinian attack on the Falklands did not cause the invocation of Article 5, whereas September 11th did. It's also why NATO is active in Afghanistan and the Arabian sea, as its members regard the terrorism in the region as being a direct and immediate threat to them, thus necessitating actions to remove the threat in full compliance with the Treaty.
That has something to do with this cruise. In part, it's a flag-showing cruise with some surveillance thrown in, combined with a show of force around the Horn of Africa on the return trip. NATO is becoming increasingly involved in African missions, by providing airlift for the AU missions in Darfur and Somalia, so it makes sense to get NATO ships familiarised with the region. But the extended amount of time being spent in SA and the variety of exercises with the SAN would seem to suggest that there may be more to it, such as an evaluation of the SA Navy's suitability to take part in NATO-led multinational operations. Logically, this could mean that such deployments might not be so far away into the future.
After all, NATO's Standing Naval Maritime Groups don't usually sail around the world on flag-showing exercises, with SNMG1 having to receive special permission from the NATO Council for this trip. Nevertheless, it's difficult to tell based on the limited info we have which of the two objectives was the primary motivation.
Either way, it's good experience for the SA Navy.
It may have something to do with Africom, but I doubt it. For the first few months at least, nothing about the US military posture in Africa is going to change dramatically (no more troops etc), as it's just an administrative reshuffling for now. Also, I think Africom's main interaction with the militaries of Africa will continue to be overwhelmingly centred on land forces with a small focus on air forces, as those are best suited to the kind of counter-terrorist, anti-insurgency and stabilisation work Africom is intending to achieve.
Source: avcom.co.za
Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 Africa 2007
HDMS Olfert Fischer (Denmark) - Image: NATO
NATO has published a flyer with a lot of information about the SNMG1 2007 and the visit to Africa including the planned exercises with the SAN.
Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 Africa 2007 (PDF, 1.6MB)
Standing NATO Maritime Group One Will Visit South Africa
Standing NATO Maritime Group One is one of four standing maritime Task Forces, along with Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, and Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Groups One and Two. The Force was previously known as Standing Naval Force Atlantic and Standing NATO Reaction Force Maritime Group One, with the latest name change occurring on 1 January 2006. It is a multinational seagoing Force, on task continuously giving NATO the ability to respond quickly and with flexibility to promote NATO’s interests anywhere in the world. The Force usually consists of six to ten ships from as many NATO nations.
The SNMG 1 is to visit South Africa and take part in a joint exercise with the SAN.
See more information about SNMG1: http://www.manw.nato.int/snmg1/
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