Trident Feb 6 2006 - Tridentnews.ca

TRIDENT, FEBRUARY 6, 2006 3
MCPL CHARLES BARBER
Cmdre Rouleau shakes hands with his predecessor, RAdm Kalahne, at the change of command ceremony. To the right is Capt(N) Dave Gardam, the CO of HMCS Athabaskan.
By Virginia Beaton
Trident staff
During a change of command
ceremony in Kiel, Germany
on Thursday January 26, Commodore
(Cmdre) Denis Rouleau
took command of the Standing
NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG 1).
Cmdre Rouleau succeeded Admiral
Wolfgang Kalahne of the German
navy. Under Cmdre Rouleau,
HMCS Athabaskan will be flagship
for the Standing Element of the maritime
component of the NATO
Response Force Rotation 7 (NRF7)
until July 2006, at which time Iroquois
will succeed it as flagship.
In a teleconference after the ceremony,
Cmdre Rouleau described
the SNMG1 as “a unique asset”
within NATO.
“We can be called upon to deploy
at short notice,” he stated, adding
that SNMG1 can deploy within five
days.
During 2006, Cmdre Rouleau
and the 21 members of his international
staff will head up a squadron
of NATO ships from the navies of
Canada, the United States, Germany,
Poland, Portugal, Denmark,
and Spain.
Cmdre Rouleau stated that the
Commodore Rouleau takes command of SNMG1
true strength of SNMG1 comes not
only from the ships and their
weapons, but also from the shared
commitment to NATO and its guiding
principles.
In response to a question concerning
the way that the international
navies cooperate while deployed
on such operations, Cmdre Rouleau
pointed out “NATO units have been
operating together for a long time.
We’re talking decades here.” He
further stated “The commonality of
operating procedures allows them to
be interoperable.”
Immediate plans for SNMG1
included sailing to Denmark, “and
operating in the Baltic Sea... My job
is to get them to work well together.”
Following this, the ships sail to
the coast of Norway, where they
will be near Bergen. The next stage
will involve sailing to the Mediterranean
for OPERATION ACTIVE
ENDEAVOUR, “which takes them
into March,” according to Cmdre
Rouleau.
The first six months of the 12-
month NRF commitment are a preparation
phase, which will be followed
by a six-month standby phase.
SNMG1 is a permanent naval
squadron that trains and operates as
a group in the North Atlantic, the
North Sea and the Mediterranean
Sea, in order to test NATO’s current
maritime procedures and tactics.
SNMG1 comprises destroyers,
frigates and on occasion, auxiliary
oiler replenishment ships.
NRF is a high readiness force
including land, sea, air and special
forces components that NATO may
deploy on short notice as a standalone
force to prevent conflicts
from escalating. Deployed as an
initial entry force, NRF can facilitate
the arrival of follow-on units,
join a larger force, and contribute to
the full range of NATO military
operations.
New SNMG1 flagship completes its first port visit
By Cdr Chris Dickinson
Squadron Public Affairs Officer
SNMG1
Between January 23 and 30,
2006, the Canadian destroyer
HMCS Athabaskan conducted a
port visit to Kiel, Germany where it
assumed its new role as the flagship
of Standing NATO Maritime Group
One (SNMG1).
As of this week, the Force consists
of HMCS Athabaskan, FGS
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, ORP
General Kazimierz Pulaski, NRP
Vasco Da Gama, and USS Simpson.
The visit to Kiel was special in
many ways. It was the point of
reassembly for the Force after
Christmas dispersal; it was the
first port of call for ORP General
Kazimierz Pulaski, the first Polish
ship to join the Force on a fulltime
basis; it was the homeport of the
out-going Commander of the
Force, Rear Admiral Wolfgang
Kalahne; and the spot chosen for
the turnover of the Force to its
new Canadian Commander, Commodore
Denis Rouleau.
It was an extremely busy week
for the 1000-plus sailors, marines,
soldiers and airmen of SNMG1.
After arriving alongside on Monday
the German and Canadian
Staffs started their turnovers. Meanwhile,
the five international staff
officers, representing Germany, the
Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and
the United Kingdom made themselves
comfortable in their new
home onboard Athabaskan.
By Thursday, January 26, 2006
everything had been prepared for
the operational change of command
ceremony held in the Gym of Kiel
Naval Station.
The ceremony was attend by
many dignitaries including General
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, the Chief
of Staff German Armed Forces and
and Vice Admiral Glenn Davidson,
Canadian Military Representative
to NATO.
The parade opened with a surprise,
as the Squadron Operations
Officer, Commander Gunnar Wolff,
was promoted to his new rank in
front of the assembly.
In his address to the parade General
Schneiderhan highlighted the
importance of NATO in maintaining
peace in Europe during the Cold War.
As a native of Kiel, the outgoing
Commander, Rear Admiral Kalahne,
recognized the importance of the
Kiel, and thanked his crew and staff
for their magnificent work over the
past 10 months of his command.
After taking over the Force officially,
Cmdre Rouleau commenced
his address with a strong statement
that summed up his commitment to
ensuring that SNMG1 was ready to
respond to its tasks within the concept
of NATO Reaction Force 7.
“As I assume command of this
naval formation of multinational
units, I do so with the firm intention
of bringing it to its highest level of
operational capabilities, and to
stand ready to respond to the multitude
of possible tasks likely expected
of us.” Cmdre Rouleau went on
to praise the fact that only the
Standing Maritime Groups of the
NATO Response Force can claim
historically to have proven and
demonstrated a real capability over
the decades.
Finally, Cmdre Rouleau completed
his speech with a tribute to his
crews and the loved ones they leave
behind when sailing with the Force.
On the weekend the Force took
the opportunity to open to visitors,
attracting several hundred interested
guests.
On Sunday afternoon, Commodore
Rouleau visited the German
Naval Memorial at Laboe with
his staff.
After a wreath laying and a short
service, in the Commemorative
Hall, the group was given a tour
by Dr Dieter Hartwig of the German
Naval Association (Deutsche
Marinebund).
On Monday, January 30, the Force
joined a Danish naval exercise
(SQUADEX 05-06), which will give
the new ships of the Force their first
opportunity to integrate into the
SNMG1 environment through a
series of maritime warfare exercises.