Rear Admiral Thorsten Kaehler, Rear Admiral Peter Hudson and Rear Admiral Bartolomé Bauzá

Today, 11 Dec 2009, Rear Admiral Thorsten Kaehler (German Navy) handed over the responsibility of Deputy Operation Commander of the European Union Naval Force Somalia Operation ATALANTA, the EU anti-piracy campaign in the Horn of Africa area, to Rear Admiral Bartolomé Bauzá (Spanish navy). The handover was conducted in the Operational Headquarters in Northwood near London.

Rear Admiral Thorsten Kaehler who joined the operation in June 2009, has been instrumental in overseeing the continued success of EU NAVFOR. He will now return to Germany as Commander of Flotilla 2.

Rear Admiral Bartolomé Bauzá, prior to his new task, had assignments in Joint HQ, Fleet HQ, and Navy HQ (his last tour as DACOS Plans & Policy and Head of the Strategic Planning Branch). He has also served in surface ships, including serving two-year-tours as EW and Ops officer in the corvette “Infanta Elena”, destroyer “Gravina” and the frigates “Andalucía” and “Cataluña”.

Pressconference: Rear Admiral Giovanni Gumiero

On Tuesday 1 December 09, ITS ETNA under the Command of Capitano di Vascello Marco Novella sailed from Taranto to join the EU Naval Force operating off the Somali coast in its Anti Piracy mission. The ship will to take her place as Flagship of the European Union Anti Piracy Force.

Onboard the ship is Rear Admiral Giovanni Gumiero who assume duty as Force Commander in the middle of December in the Gulf of Aden.

The Deputy Operation Commander of EU NAVFOR Atalanta, Rear Admiral Thorsten Kaehler, said farewell to RAdm Gumiero and the flagship ITS ETNA. He discussed the forthcoming mission with both Giovanni Gumiero and Capitano di Vascello Marco Novella. He underlined once more the importance for European Member States to contribute to this hugely important international task which the EU is acknowledged as leading. He expressed the gratitude of the European Union for the Italian contribution to Operation Atalanta.

Pressconference: Capitano di Vascello Marco Novella, Rear Admiral Giovanni Gumiero and Rear Admiral Thorsten Kaehler

Admiral Kaehler, in talking to the members of the Press stated that “Piracy was continuing and would continue until a political solution was found in Somalia”. He was pleased that the EU force is leading the way in this international task and that the actions of EU NAVFOR ships showed a direct effect on reducing the success rates of pirates’ attacks.“ Before EU NAVFOR ships were engaged, the pirates were successful in hijacking a vessel in about one in three attacks”, but since the beginning of the Operation in December 2008 the success rate has been reduced to about one in eight or nine.

ITS ETNA will proceed to the Gulf of Aden, where Radm Gumiero is to and relieve the present Force Commander Commodore Pieter Bindt onboard the EU NAVFOR Netherlands warship HNMS EVERTSEN who has been controlling operations in the area for the last four months. The ships will meet in the Gulf of Aden in the middle of December and formally hand over command of the EU NAVFOR.

Rear Admiral Gumiero

Rear Admiral Gumiero participated in Operation SHARP GUARD as Commanding Officer of ITS DANAIDE. As Commander SNMG2 he launched and conducted the first ever NATO counter piracy operation, Operation Allied Provider (OAP), in the Gulf of Aden (GOA) and along the Somali coastline. The mission included the escort and protection of WFP chartered vessels carrying humanitarian aid to Somalia.

History of Force Commanders of EU NAVFOR

December 2008:  Commodore Antonios Papaioannou onboard Flagship: HS PSARA
6 April 2009:  Captain (N) Juan Garat Carame onboard Flagship: SPS NUMANCIA
13 August 2009: Commodore Pieter Bindt onboard Flagship: HNMS EVERSTEN

Picture Gallery

Rear Admiral Thorsten Kaehler presents a Crest of EU NAVFOR to Somali Minister of Defence, Mr. Abdulla Boss Ahmed

On 18 November, Mr. Abdulla Boss Ahmed, Minister of Defence of the transitional federal government of Somalia, visited the European operational headquarters in Northwood in order to gain a better understanding of what the EU NAVFOR was achieving in its operations against piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin.

He was hosted by the Operation Deputy Commander, Rear Admiral Kaehler and was given a presentation on the Operation and it’s achievements since inception in December 2008.

He encouraged EU and the Transitional Federal Government to work closely together to tackle the piracy issue off the coast of Somalia. He said “This was my first visit to the UK and I have made many contacts. I am very pleased to visit the EU NAVFOR HQ and see the success of Operation Atalanta. I see the first seeds of success in stabilisation and look forward to the blossoming of a free Somalia”

Flag of the European Union on one of the EU NAVFOR ships

A delegation from the European Union Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR – Op Atalanta) visited the Russian Federation authorities in Moscow on 12 – 13 November to discuss coordination issues in the Gulf of Aden in the international fight against piracy. 

The delegation was led by Rear Admiral Thorsten Kaehler, Deputy Operation Commander EU NAVFOR and the meeting was chaired by Mr Vladislav Kravtsov, Counsellor from the Department of European cooperation. The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) was represented by Rear Admiral Alexander Schtukaturov, Deputy Chief of Staff of the MoD naval Staff.

Russia expressed its willingness to continue to cooperate in the international effort against piracy off the coast of Somalia. A number of technical aspects how to enhance mutual coordination were successfully addressed at the meeting.

Reaffirmation of the use of the multi-national meetings in Bahrain (Shared Awareness and Deconfliction meeting – SHADE) was welcomed by both sides and the excellent coordination at the tactical level would continue.

Further Information

• European Union Naval Force Somalia – Operation Atalanta
  The European Union is conducting a military operation to help deter, prevent and repress acts of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia.
  http://www.eunavfor.eu/about-us/mission/
• Shared Awareness and Deconfliction – SHADE
  Press Release: 8th SHADE meeting sees largest international participation so far, October 1, 2009,
  http://www.eunavfor.eu/2009/10/8th-shade-meeting-sees-largest-international-participation-so-far/
• Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa – MSCHOA
  The Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSC-HOA) is an initiative established by EU NAVFOR with close co-operation from industry.
  http://www.eunavfor.eu/about-us/mschoa/ - http://www.mschoa.eu

Captain (N) Garat and the crews were greeted by a large number of relatives assembled at the jetty in Rota Naval Base. They were officially welcomed by the Chief of the Spanish Navy, Admiral Juan C Muñoz-Delgado.

Among those assembled to welcome Captain (N) Garat and the two ships was also EU NAVFOR Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Thorsten Kaehler who stated at the occasion,

“We welcome NAMANCIA and her crew back to Spain. On behalf of EU NAVFOR I would like to take the opportunity to thank Captain (N) Juan Garat Caramé and his crew for a well done job.”

NUMANCIA arrived in Rota – Chief of Sanish Navy, Admiral Juan Carlos Munoz-Diaz del Rio, muster the crew – Deputy Force Commander Rear Admiral Thorsten Kaehler thanks Captain (N) Juan Garat Carame.

On Monday June 15 the Council of the European Union announced that Operation Atalanta is to be extended for one more year until December 13, 2010.

The new Commander of EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta, RAdm Peter Hudson, invite you to a briefing about the coming period.

Date:                Tuesday June 23
Time:                10.00 – 12.00, local time
Place:               Northwood Headquarters, Sandy Lane – Northwood

Programme:

09.30                Gathering at the main entrance to Northwood HQ
09.35                OHQ Briefing Room

09.50                Introduction, Chief PIO, Cdr John Harbour

10.00                Operation Atalanta brief from Operation Commander RAdm Peter Hudson and Deputy Commander          RAdm Thorsten Kaehler
10.30                    Questions and answers
10.45                     Opportunity to take photos within HQ
11.00 -12.00      Option for individual interviews, staff members from participating nations are available

If you are interested in attending the EU NAVFOR OHQ please advise the PIO department at the email address below by 12.00 Thursday June 18. Please provide the press office with your name, date of birth, company, address and passport number in order to get clearance to enter the Headquarters at Northwood.

media_atalanta@mschoa.org
+44 77 62 78 47 46

EU NAVAL FORCE
EU Operation Headquarters
Northwood Headquarters
Sandy Lane – Northwood
Middlesex – HA6 3HP

RAdm Labonne & RAdm Kaehler

Today, 5 June 2009, Rear Admiral Jean Pierre Labonne (French Navy) handed over the responsibility of Deputy Operation Commander of the European Union Naval Force Operation ATALANTA, the EU anti-piracy campaign in the Horn of Africa area, to Rear Admiral Thorsten Kaehler (German Navy). The handover was conducted in the Operational Headquarters in Northwood near London.

Rear Admiral Labonne has admirably faced all the challenges of the operation from the beginning in December 2008. He will now return to France and reassume command as “Amiral Commandant la Force d’Action Navale á Brest”, Commander of the French naval action forces.

Rear Admiral Kaehler, prior to his new task, was the Deputy Director of the Policy Planning and Advisory Staff in the German Ministry of Defence in Berlin for the last three years. He will remain in the EU NAVFOR post until the end of the current mandate in mid-December 2009.