Standing NATO Maritime Group 1

Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) is one of NATO's standing maritime Immediate Reaction Forces. Prior to 1 January 2005 it was known as Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT). The group was also briefly called the Standing NATO Response Force Maritime Group One.

SNMG1 consists of 4 to 6 destroyers and frigates, with the Royal Canadian Navy, the Deutsche Marine (German Navy), the Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy), and the United States Navy each contributing 1 ship on a permanent basis. These are joined periodically by ships from Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Portugal, and Spain. The force operates, trains and exercises as a group, providing day-to-day verification of current NATO maritime procedures, tactics and effectiveness.

Ships are usually attached to the force for up to six months, on a rotating basis. Units of one nation do not necessarily relieve ships of the same nation. The force commander and the staff are appointed for one year, with the force commander rotating among the participating nations. Since 30 May 2013, the force is under the command of Commodore Henning Amundsen flying his flag in the Norwegian frigate HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen (F310).

Operations
In peacetime, the force exercises primarily in the eastern Atlantic. Allied Command Operations (ACO) has operational command of the force, and the Commander Allied Maritime Component Command Northwood administers the force while in the Eastern Atlantic. ACO delegates operational control to the area commander where the force is operating.

Organization
SNMG1 is a component of the NATO Response Force (NRF).

History
In late November 1966, U.S. Rear Admiral Richard G. Colbert prepared a concept paper proposing a permanent Allied Command Atlantic naval contingency force based on Operation Matchmaker, an annual six-month exercising involving ships from allied navies. The proposed contingency force was approved by NATO in December 1967 and activated in January 1968 as Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT).

The force was under the operational control of SACLANT until it was decommissioned in 2003. Due to the resulting NATO realignment, STANAVFORLANT fell under the operational control of ACO.

In September 2007, SNMG1 was in the Red Sea bound for Suez to complete a circumnavigation of Africa when the Jabal al-Tair volcano erupted. SNMG1 ships assisted the Yemeni coast guard in the recovery of their military personnel stationed on the island.

Since 2009, SNMG1 has been providing ships for NATO's Operation Ocean Shield anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden.

On 23-25 March 2012 the group conducted a passing exercise with Carrier Strike Group Twelve, led by Enterprise, while carrying out Operation Active Endeavor missions in the Mediterranean. The group's commander, Commodore Ben Bekkering, Royal Netherlands Navy visited Enterprise. At the time the group consisted of the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS De Ruyter, the Spanish Navy frigate Álvaro de Bazán, the German Navy frigate Rheinland-Pfalz, and the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Charlottetown.