OPERATION ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR

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NATO AND MOROCCO SIGN AGREEMENT ON OPERATION ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR

Naples, 22 October 2009 - Rear Admiral Mohammed Berrada Gouzi, Inspector of the Moroccan Royal Navy, as the Royal Armed Forces/General Headquarters (EMG/FAR) representative, and Vice Admiral Maurizio Gemignani, Commander of Operation Active Endeavour, signed today in Naples, Italy, a Tactical Memorandum of Understanding (TMOU) for a Moroccan contribution to NATO’s anti-terrorism mission, Operation Active Endeavour.

This is an important step forward in NATO-Morocco cooperation. The agreement defines the modalities of Morocco’s participation in the operation and envisages a wide spectrum of cooperation, from information exchange to contribution of naval and air assets.

“Cooperation with partners and Mediterranean Dialogue countries enhances the effectiveness of Operation Active Endeavour and sends a strong, cohesive, deterrent message to anybody who may conceive using the Mediterranean Sea for terrorist intent. The addition of new nations increases NATO’s ability to gather and share information for mutual benefit and reduces the terrorist capability of manoeuvre in the Mediterranean Sea,” Admiral Gemignani said.

The Kingdom of Morocco and NATO concluded an Exchange of Letters on 2 June 2008 with the aim to enhance NATO-Morocco cooperation against terrorism and to develop interoperability between NATO and Morocco military forces in an operational context.

The mission of Operation Active Endeavour is to conduct maritime operations to help deter, defend, disrupt and protect against terrorism in the Mediterranean. Over the last eight years, OAE has interacted with more than 100,000 merchant ships - a significant deterrent to terrorist activity in the Mediterranean Sea. The Operation has also been an important catalyst for cooperation with non-NATO countries and has provided NATO and participating nations better awareness of maritime traffic and opportunities to develop tactics and procedures employed in other operational activities, including anti-piracy.  

OAE was launched in 2001 following the terrorist attacks against the United States. It has since evolved into a comprehensive counter-terrorism operation that is based on the collection and analysis of information of the maritime traffic and on the surveillance conducted by NATO naval and air units. Surveillance by military assets is – at irregular intervals – concentrated into specific areas of the Mediterranean with ‘surge’ operations, during which a larger scale sweep is conducted to establish presence and monitor maritime activity, with the option of conducting at-sea inspections.

More than 100,000 merchant vessels have been contacted during Operation Active Endeavour in nearly eight years, and a total of 159 have been inspected at sea. OAE’s achievements through targeted maritime operations are highly impressive and constitute a significant deterrent to terrorist activity in the Mediterranean Sea. Analysis has shown that the Operation has and continues to make a difference in deterring terrorism and related activities in the Mediterranean. It also has collateral benefits in detecting and reporting illicit activities on the high seas to assist appropriate law enforcement agencies.

http://www.jfcnaples.nato.int/organization/CC_MAR_Naples/PressReleases/CC-MAR/pressreleases09/NR_20_09.html

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Ukrainian Warship Successfully Completes its Participation in NATO'S Anti-terrorist Operation

Ukrainian corvette Ternopil has participated in NATO's Operation Active Endeavour for the fifth time. The Operation was launched for the first time by the Alliance after the 9/11 terrorist attack and aims to detect and deter terrorist activity in the Mediterranean Sea region. Ukraine was the first amongst non-member states to join the operation.
"The trip was of great importance for our country. Ukraine has once again demonstrated its due execution of its international obligations; that it is a country which sees to stability in the region of Mediterranean and Black Seas, and proves its eagerness to combat terrorism," stated rear-admiral Yuriy Illyin.
Ukraine's President Kuchma has set Ukraine's course towards conducting a sufficient dialogue with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The next Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, 2004-2009, nurtured the idea of Ukraine becoming NATO's member. However, this notion was not supported by most Ukrainians. Therefore, Ukraine kept its non-aligned status. In the recently enacted law on Domestic and Foreign Policy, signed by the President-in-office Viktor Yanukovych in 2010, Ukraine is to continue on having a constructive partnership with NATO.
The corvette's crew participated in surge operations, helping to monitor civilian shipping, collecting and analyzing information on suspicious vessels and accompanying ships carrying important cargo. It took part in 5 patrolling shifts in the different areas of the Mediterranean Sea.
Next year Ukraine will send its warship Lutsk to aid the Operation. In addition to Ukraine, Morocco and Israel offered physical assets for 2011.
Under the programme, NATO forces have hailed over 110000 merchant vessels and boarded 160 suspect ships. By conducting these maritime operations against terrorist activity, NATO's presence in these waters has benefited all shipping traveling through the Straits. The increased NATO presence has also boosted the Alliance's security cooperation programme with countries in the wider Mediterranean region - Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.
NATO-Ukraine relations were formally launched in 1991, when Ukraine joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (now the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council). In 1994, it became the first of the Commonwealth of Independent States to join NATO's Partnership for Peace programme. The alliance now consists of 28 independent member countries and cooperates with a range of countries.

NoN

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Morocco planned to deploy one of its two current Floreal
class frigates to OAE, with plans that one of its newly
acquired Sigma class frigates could deploy to OAE after 2013.

http://wikileaks.org/cable/2010/02/10RABAT123.html

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... un mémorandum d’entente est en cours de discussion afin de réfléchir sur la probable participation d’une frégate marocaine à «l’opération Active Endeavour»...

https://far-maroc.forumpro.fr/t3413-snmcmg2-in-morocco-2012#221524