Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) today celebrated its 67th anniversary at its headquarters in Oeiras, Portugal. The occasion was marked by the Deputy Commander, Rear Admiral Guy Robinson OBE, and the Senior Enlisted Advisor, Master Chief Petty Officer Jesus Olivares.

Due to the rapidly unfolding situation around COVID-19 the event had no additional attendance from STRIKFORNATO’s personnel or any guest in order to keep social contact to a minimum (the cake was distributed to personnel later).

Addressing a message to STRIKFORNATO’s staff, RAdm Robinson stated that "the Command Group within STRIKFORNATO has been looking closely at the direction and guidance from our higher headquarters, our sponsoring nations and the Portuguese Government. In determining what action to take I am focused on sustaining our mission while ensuring that we do everything we can to contribute to the wellbeing of you and your families… We have a close and strong community at STRIKFORNATO. Ensure you look out for each other, especially now, and we will get through this challenging period together. 67 years strong.”

First established in 1953 in Naples as STRIKFORSOUTH and redesignated as STRIKFORNATO in 2004, STRIKFORNATO moved to its current headquarters in Portugal in 2012.

STRIKFORNATO is a rapidly deployable and scalable headquarters capable of planning and executing full spectrum joint maritime operations and providing command and control of maritime Ballistic Missile Defence. As part of this mission, STRIKFORNATO is responsible for the integration of U.S. naval, carrier, and amphibious forces into NATO operations to provide assurance, deterrence, and collective defence for the Alliance. STRIKFORNATO is comprised of 13 member nations: Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the U.K. and U.S.