Romania to take over command of standing NATO group on Jan. 16

Romania will take over on Thursday the command of NATO's SNMCMG - 2 Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 2, the Romanian Chief of Navy Defence Staff reported in a statement released on Monday. 

The SNMCMG-2 command, provided by Captain Commodore Valentin-Catalin Vlad, will be exercised, for six months from the Romanian Navy's Vice Amiral Constantin Balescu (PM-274) mine sweeper command ship. 

Three officers from partner navies are also part of the group's general staff, according to NATO's policy of organising standing maritime groups. 

The January to June 2020 SNMCMG-2 missions, to be carried out in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, will be conducted by navy ships from Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Spain and Turkey, according to the schedule drawn up by the Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM). 

The SNMCMG-2 will operate in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean to ensure immediate NATO response, as well as to increase interoperability among NATO navies and promote the image of NATO. 

A first related activity is the arrival in Constanta port, January 13- 20, of Turkey's Akcay M 270 minehunter and the Bulgarian Priboi minesweeper that will be part of the SNMCMG group to carry out, together with the Vice-Admiral Constantin Balescu minesweeper activities for the preparation of specific missions planned in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. 

The take-over ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Passenger Terminal of the Port of Constanta at 10:00hrs, EET.