On November 10 at 10.00 a.m., the tender “Elbe” of the German Navy will leave its home port of Kiel for the Aegean. The provider, which is part of the support squadron, will act as a command platform and thus represent the German contribution to the permanent naval unit 2 of NATO (Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, SNMG 2) and at the same time the NATO support mission in the Aegean.
The boat will replace the tug “Rügen”, which has been operating as a command platform in the Aegean since the middle of the year. in the Aegean.
It will be an exciting time for the commander, Corvette Captain Michelle Niehage: “The crew already has a lot of days away from home due to deployment training. Added to this is the deployment over Christmas and New Year’s Eve. This is a special challenge for everyone on board, but of course also for the families at home.” The boat and crew are expected back in Kiel in April 2026.
In addition to the missions mandated by the Bundestag, the German Navy is constantly involved in NATO’s multinational naval units, such as SNMG 2, for which the German Navy permanently deploys ships and boats. Participation in NATO units is also part of Germany’s obligations to the alliance in peacetime. These NATO units have existed for decades.
The NATO activity in the Aegean is the alliance’s contribution to tackling the refugee and migration crisis. It was decided in February 2016 at the request of Germany, Greece and Turkey with the aim of quickly and significantly reducing the flow of refugees through the Aegean Sea. With these activities, NATO intends to contribute to a situational picture for the Greek and Turkish coastguards and the European border agency Frontex. NATO forces will provide support through maritime surveillance and the exchange of situational information to assist the authorities involved in their efforts against smugglers and their networks.
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