Operation Sharp Guard
The Operation Sharp Guard was a joint operation of NATO and the Western European Union (WEU) and was by several UN resolutions (713, 757, 787, 820, 943) covered. It officially began on June 15, 1993, replacing Operation Maritime Guard (NATO) and Operation Sharp Fence (WEU).
target
The aim of the mission was to implement economic sanctions and the arms embargo against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the operational areas of Otranto and Montenegro , including the territorial waters of Albania and Montenegro at sea and in the air.
history
The operation was largely carried out by warships supported by maritime patrols and AWACS early warning aircraft . At the Combined Task Force 440 in the operational area of the southern Adriatic NATO ships also took with contingents from the permanent maritime NATO task forces Standing Naval Force Mediterranean (STANAVFORMED / SNFM) , Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT / SNFL) and the Contingency Maritime Force (WEUCONMARFOR ) of the Western European Union . The maritime patrols from eight NATO countries with the aircraft types Breguet Atlantic , P-3 Orion and Nimrod had their bases at the Italian military airfields Cagliari / Elmas and Sigonella . Eight AWACS E-3A Sentry NATO Airborne Early Warning Force (NAEWF) aircraft operated simultaneously for Operation Sharp Guard and Operation Deny Flight , as were two British AWACS E-3D and French E-3F aircraft. The early warning planes used Geilenkirchen Air Base in Germany, Aviano Air Base and Trapani Airport in Italy and RAF Waddington in England.
On March 13, 1994, the embargo against small arms was ended by UN Resolution 1021 and the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP) for Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Sharp Guard units then only controlled ships for heavy weapons and the associated ammunition, as well as mines, military aircraft and helicopters.
On May 1, 1994, the multinational naval forces prevented the breakthrough of the oil tanker Lido II, which was deployed on behalf of the Yugoslav Navy and registered in Malta . The ship was escorted into Italian territorial waters for violating the embargo.
On November 22, 1995 the trade embargo was suspended by the United Nations through UN resolution 1022. Sharp Guard missions ended on June 19, 1996, but officially ran until the end of the last sanctions lifting on October 2, 1996.
Nations involved
A total of 14 countries were involved in the overall operation: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Greece, Great Britain, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the USA.
The commander of Combined Task Force 440 was the Italian Admiral Mario Angeli and at the same time commander of the Allied Naval Forces Southern Europe (NAVSOUTH). His deputy was Rear Admiral Gianfranco Coviello. Combined Task Force 440's maritime patrol operations were led by Combined Task Force 431 Commander, Rear Adm. John R. Ryan of the US Navy.
The Bundeswehr took part from June 18, 1993 with two ship units (destroyers or frigates), which were replaced about every four months. The destroyers Mölders and Rommel as well as the frigates Lower Saxony , Karlsruhe , Lübeck , Cologne , Augsburg and Emden were in use . Operating from Cagliari / Elmas in Sardinia, three Breguet Atlantic maritime patrol planes with 60 soldiers took part and flew 695 missions. After the end of the mission in June 1996, a German frigate of the NATO Standing Naval Force Mediterranean in the Mediterranean and three maritime patrol aircraft of the Naval Aviation Wing 3 "Graf Zeppelin" (MFG 3) at the Nordholz air base until October 1, 1996 in the event of a resurgence of economic sanctions held a five-day standby.
On December 21, 1995, when the Karlsruhe dinghy was launched, a fatal accident occurred when the boat tipped over and a 25-year-old mate was trapped between the sides of the dinghy and the frigate. He succumbed to his injuries on the flight to the mainland.
Balance sheet
During Operation Sharp Guard, including Operations Maritime Guard (NATO) and Sharp Fence (WEU), from November 22, 1992 to June 18, 1996:
- 74,192 ships queried
- 5,951 ships controlled (262 of them by Germany)
- 1,480 ships were diverted to an Italian port for closer inspection
The armed forces involved recorded 19,699 days at sea, 7,151 flights by maritime patrols and 6,174 flights by NATO and French AWACS early warning aircraft.
literature
- Christian Jentzsch: The longest naval mission of the 1990s. 25 years of Operation Sharp Guard 1993–1996 . MarineForum 6-2018, pp. 26-29.
Individual evidence
- ^ NATO / WEU Operation Sharp Guard
- ^ Press and Information Office of the Federal Government, ISSN 0435-7701