Change of Command for NRF Maritime Component

OEIRAS, Portugal - A formal handover/takeover of the tasks and responsibilities for the NATO Response Force (NRF) Maritime Component Command took place during a ceremony in Oeiras, Portugal, on Wednesday, 13 December 2017, during the High Readiness Forces Maritime Commanders’ Conference.

Rear Admiral Guy Robinson, Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) Deputy Commander, handed over the duty of commander of the maritime component of NRF to Rear Admiral Olivier Lebas, Commander of the French Maritime Forces.

The maritime commander for the NRF rotates among NATO’s national maritime commands annually. STRIKFORNATO served in this role for 2017 after a successful certification process during exercises NOBLE MARINER and TRIDENT JUNCTURE in 2016.

The NRF is a highly ready and technologically advanced, multinational force made up of Land, Air, Maritime, and Special Operations Force components the Alliance can deploy quickly, wherever needed.