The first EUROMARFOR activation took place for the EOLO exercise in April 1996 (nineteen ninety-six). After 29 (twenty-nine) years, with in numerous activations, exercises, operations and deployments in the real world, I believe that it has been an effective coalition for a better and safer maritime environment.

For this, I would like to thank you all for being here today attending this Activation Ceremony, as I take it as an endorsement of the importance of EUROMARFOR’s role in the world. Its aim as a non-standing, pre-structured, multinational maritime force, is to conduct a rapid integration of the assigned task force and the subsequent early establishment of a maritime capability, with a special focus to the Mediterranean, but not limited to, supporting primarily the European Union security in the maritime domain through sea control, humanitarian missions, peacekeeping operations, crisis response operations and peace enforcement.

In these approximately thirty years, many developments have occurred, but the maritime context is still complex, probably more so now than before, and the training background that frame the REPMUS/DYNAMIC MESSENGER exercises are a good example of this. 

The EUROMARFOR Task Force will thus be deployed in an operational environment designed to replicate the challenges of modern joint missions in the maritime, land, and air domains.

Through carefully crafted scenarios, unmanned technologies will be tested in areas such as Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, electronic warfare, communications resilience, amphibious operations, and force protection.

The participation to this advanced exercise promotes the interoperability and operational effectiveness among the EUROMARFOR units and personnel, a clear sign of the commitment and resolve of our navies to be a primary contributor for a more secure maritime environment.

Ladies and gentlemen The exercise REPMUS/DYNAMIC MESSENGER is an excellent opportunity to increase our professional skills and to better know each other, showing with pride National and EUROMARFOR Flags in your masts. 

I want to express my best wishes to the Task Group Captain and his multinational staff, to the Commanding Officers and ships companies of the French BSAM (Bâtiments de Soutien et d’Assistance Métropolitains / Metropolitan Offshore Support & Assistance Vessel) ship Seine, the Italian REMUS team, the Portuguese Frigate D. Francisco de Almeida and Oceanic Patrol Boats Figueira da Foz and Setúbal, and the Spanish Replenishment ship Cantabria.

Finally, I have the great pleasure to declare activated this EUROMARFOR Task Group, under the command of Captain André Pereira da Silva as COMMMANDER OF THE EUROMARFOR TASK GROUP (COMGRUEUROMARFOR), to whom I delegate the Tactical Control on the Task Group. I wish to all EUROMARFOR seafarers fair winds and following seas.

My thanks to you all