Standing NRF Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standing mine countermeasures Immediate Reaction Forces. Prior to 1 January 2005 it was known as the NATO Mine Countermeasure Force (North) (MCMFN). The flag of NATO NATO 2002 Summit The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949. ...

SNMCMG1 is a permanently established naval squadron that normally consists of seven mine countermeasures vessels, including a dedicated command ship.

Operations

Today, SNMCMG1 is under the operational command of the Allied Command Operations (ACO) has operational command of the force. Command is delegated through Joint Force Commander Brunssum (JFC Brunssum) to Commander Allied Maritime Component Command Northwood. Day-to-day planning of the force is conducted from NATO Headquarters Allied Maritime Component Command Headquarters Northwood and long-term planning is carried out in collaboration with the operational staff at Joint Force Command Brunssum and the Combined Joint Planning Staff (CJPS).

The area of operations for the group includes the waters of Europe from the North of Norway to the Mediterranean and from the Irish Sea to the Eastern Baltic Sea. Since 1998 SNMCMG1 has also been operating in coastal waters of the United States, Canada and Iceland. World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... bmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb wfkjbgfkjbdvjkdvqkjfdbmnbvnbvhjvhjvhvgjgkjnrgsklvnkjnsfegnlerjklh kljrthvnjkbijbvjklb... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of east and central Europe, and the Danish islands. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

Seven NATO navies regularly contribute to the force. Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, and United Kingdom provide ships continuously. Denmark and Poland provide ships as national priorities permit. New NATO members Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania will join the group in the near future (as of 2005).

History

The origins of the Channel command predate NATO. Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom formed the Western Union of Defense Organization in September 1946. The English Channel ( French:La Manche) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. ...

NATO established the Allied Command Channel by February 1952.

The mine countermeasure force was first formed in May 1973.

Commanders

References and links

• official web page (http://www.manw.nato.int/manw/pages/organisation/snmcmg1.htm)