EUROMARFOR SWG 23-2 meeting took place on 23rd of November at the Portuguese Fleet Command Headquarters in Lisbon, attended by representatives of the Naval Staffs of the EUROMARFOR (EMF) nations as well as the staff of the EMF Permanent Cell, which is located in the Italian Fleet Headquarter, Santa Rosa (Rome).
The EUROMARFOR (EMF) Sub-working Group (SWG EMF) is in charge of EMF technical and organizational issues and conducting studies on specific topics, while helping to support the decision-making process of the EMF Political Military Working Group (POLMIL WG).
The meeting, chaired by the Spanish Navy as secretariat nation, discussed a number of issues, including the current and future employment of EUROMARFOR during the Italian Command (2023-2025) as well as the plan of activities for the following years.
A particular focus was on the incoming activations for the 2024, the Activity Plan 2025 – 2027 and the development of an even more robust Maritime Situational Awareness in the Wider Mediterranean Sea also through a stronger connection between the operational HQs of the four Fleet Commands.
At the operational level, the Commander of the European Maritime Force (COMEUROMARFOR) is appointed every two years, being currently held since last September 26th by the CINCNAV, Vice Admiral Aurelio DE CAROLIS.
The COMEUROMARFOR (CEMF) relies on both its national staff and the EMF Permanent Cell (EMF PC) for the planning / execution of the assigned tasks. The EMF PC is composed of a Director, who is a Captain/Colonel of the CEMF nationality, and four national representatives (Commander or Lieutenant Commander) from each EMF Nation.
Since Italy has assumed command, EUROMARFOR has recently been activated during the MARE APERTO 23-2 exercise and in the Gulf of Guinea.
