Operation Sea Guardian


Operation Sea Guardian is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization maritime security operation taking place in the Mediterranean Sea. In July 2016, at the Warsaw Summit, NATO announced the transition of the Article 5 counter-terrorism Operation Active Endeavour into a broader mission in the Mediterranean. Stood up in November 2016,

Tasks

Operation Sea Guardian is an expanded mission of maritime situational awareness, counter-terrorism at sea, and support to capacity-building missions. The mission is led by the Allied Maritime Command in Northwood, United Kingdom. If specifically tasked to do so, Sea Guardian can also preserve freedom of navigation, conduct maritime interdiction, counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and protect critical infrastructure.

French withdrawal

On June 10, 2020 the French frigate Courbet, flag ship of the Sea Guardian force, was illuminated by targeting radar as it attempted to approach a Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship under Turkish Navy escort. The Courbet was acting on the belief that the cargo ship may have been attempting to break the United Nations arms embargo on Libya. The Turkish government has denied the French accusation and demanded an apology, stating the cargo ship was carrying humanitarian supplies. A NATO investigation was inconclusive.

See Also