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Guard Continues Domestic, Global Missions in a Busy 2022
December 21, 2022 — ARLINGTON, Va. - The National Guard’s footprint on domestic and international events continued in... MORE

Spc. Megan Koszarek, an infantryman with the Alaska Army National Guard’s Avalanche Company, 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, conducts a security sweep during a training exercise near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Dec. 3, 2022. The exercise's aim was to enhance the unit’s combat readiness and evaluate proficiency in an arctic environment.

South Carolina Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing is Mission Ready
October 28, 2022 — WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. – From exercising air power in South America to conducting hurricane evacuations... MORE

Colombian Air Force KFIRs and the U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons from the South Carolina Air National Guard, 157th Fighter Squadron, fly in formation during Relampago VII, an exercise in Barranquilla, Colombia, Aug. 30, 2022. South Carolina is Colombia’s partner in the State Partnership Program.

New York Army Guard Aviators Complete Hurricane Mission
October 11, 2022 — ROCHESTER, N.Y. – New York Army National Guard Soldiers completed their Florida mission helping... MORE

Civilian search and rescue personnel on a CH-47F Chinook helicopter operated by New York Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to B Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, head to a mission on Sanibel Island, Florida, Oct. 2, 2022. At the direction of Gov. Kathy Hochul, the New York National Guard deployed two Chinook helicopters and 11 Soldiers to help the Florida National Guard respond to the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian.

Florida Guard’s RED HORSE Squadron Clears Roads
October 5, 2022 — PINE ISLAND, Fla. – The Florida Air National Guard’s 202nd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy... MORE

Members of the 202nd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers (RED HORSE) Squadron, Florida Air National Guard, clear roads of Hurricane Ian debris in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, Oct. 1, 2022. The 202nd RED HORSE Squadron, stationed at Camp Blanding, Florida, is a specialized, highly mobile civil engineering team of Florida Air National Guard members.

Virginia National Guard Prepared for Possible Severe Weather
October 3, 2022 — RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia National Guard staged Soldiers and trucks in the Eastern Shore and... MORE

The Virginia National Guard staged eight Soldiers and four tactical trucks capable of high water transportation on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and 12 Soldiers and six trucks at readiness centers in the Hampton Roads area Oct. 3. The Guard was prepared to respond to potential severe weather if needed.

Virginia National Guard Prepared for Hurricane Response
September 30, 2022 — RICHMOND, Va. - The Virginia National Guard staged about 60 Soldiers and Airmen across the... MORE

Virginia National Guard Soldiers prepare for possible severe weather from Hurricane Ian Sept. 30, 2022, in Powhatan, Virginia. Soldiers assigned to the 180th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group, were prepared to provide high mobility transport and clear debris if needed.

Louisiana Guard Joins Hurricane Ian Response in Florida
September 30, 2022 — PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana National Guard is supporting the response to Hurricane Ian in Florida... MORE

Nearly 60 Louisiana National Guardsmen assigned to the 1087th Transportation Company, 165th Combat Sustainment and Support Brigade, 139th Regional Support Group, prepare tactical vehicles to assist emergency operations in Florida after Hurricane Ian, Slidell, Louisiana, Sept. 29, 2022.

Thousands of Guardsmen Supporting Hurricane Ian Response
September 29, 2022 — ARLINGTON, Va. – More than 5,000 National Guardsmen from multiple states are positioned across... MORE

U.S. Army Soldiers with the Florida National Guard's Chemical, Biological, Radiological/Nuclear, and Explosive - Enhanced Response Force Package load supplies as part of their response to Hurricane Ian, Sarasota, Fla., Sept. 29, 2022. Soldiers and Airmen were joined by emergency responders from other states as they mobilized to support the local community.

National Guard Staged for Florida Hurricane Response
September 28, 2022 — ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Some 5,000 Florida National Guard troops were ready Wednesday to help... MORE

Florida National Guard Army Pfc. Kenneth Bonn, a combat engineer with the 753rd Engineering Brigade, inspects a search and rescue vessel during Hurricane Ian state activation, Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Fla., Sept. 27, 2022. Bonn is part of the Florida National Guard's Chemical, Biological, Radiological/Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) - Enhanced Response Force Package (FL-CERFP).

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NATO Ships in the Aegean Sea – The German Navy Flagship FGS BONN

Natochannel

March 3, 2016 | 3:35

SNMG2 currently consists of German Navy flagship FGS BONN, Canadian Navy frigate HMCS FREDERICTON, Turkish Navy frigate TCG BARBAROS and Greek Navy frigate HS SALAMIS. The units are patrolling in the assigned areas and conducting reconnaissance, monitoring and surveillance activities. Exclusive footage from inside the German Navy flagship FGS BONN in the Aegean Sea and interview with the NATO Commander, Rear Admiral Jörg Klein.

FGS BONN Broll (Soundbites)

1. (00:00 – 03:58) ENGLISH SOUNDBITE – REAR ADMIRAL JÖRG KLEIN, Commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2).
“The migrant crisis is one of the largest crises we have seen in the last years. And two weeks ago, the North Atlantic Council at ministerial level decided to engage in this crisis. As a first measure, my group was sent into the Aegean Sea to provide for first and visible reminder of NATO’s solidarity and cohesion at sea. My group is operating in these waters since 13th February and our mission basically is to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance and monitoring, up to now, on the open seas.” ”This force consists up to five ships supported by an auxiliary that can be an oiler. The nations provide these ships to my command and the ships rotate in and out throughout the year.” ”NATO can be a game-changer in the scenario because we have capabilities all the other organisations operating within this framework, might not have. Or we have them to a better extent with better quality, and we have the possibilities to exchange information with the systems we have. We have picture compilation systems. So that are all things where we might be able to support the organisations working on this right now.” ”We are in close contact with the Turkish and the Greek cost guard. We already had our first meetings and we agreed to exchange the information we have basically on VHF as well as on phone, so we have an idea where the migrants flows are, we have an idea basically what we see, and we can provide the information we are collecting via these means, via all means we have on board this ship, to the coast guards, so that they can react. The same applies for Frontex as well. Frontex is part of this at the tactical level. We will exchange the information as best as we can with Frontex as well. And the means for the information exchange are currently under evaluation, how we address basically the needs of the units of the coast guards and Frontex operating in that area, how we can support them best.” ”From my point of view, it is is an issue addressing all Europe. We have a migrant crisis that is just not related only to the countries which are at the European borders, but it’s affecting even us in Germany and even northern parts of Europe as well. So this can be only addressed in a common approach. It is not the problem of a single country, it’s a challenge basically for the whole European Union and of course neighbouring countries. We need to include them in our efforts as well.” ”If we have a case where we have a risk for the lives of the people in the boats, of course it is the obligation, in the framework of international law, of all commanding officers to save these people. It’s the so-called SOLAS case. These cases are done … they are in the responsibility of the commanding officers, they are done under national authorities. So in this case, NATO of course is giving the ship back to the national authorities, to deal with this crisis, to deal with this event and to rescue the people. Thereafter, after the people have been rescued, they will of course on board receive medical treatment and they will be taken care of, so that we can ensure that they are safe.”