Current Northwood HQ News
20 Dec 12
NATO and Russia hold
talks on Counter Piracy cooperation in St. Petersburg
NATO
and the Russian Federation’s Navy conducted their fourth talks in two years
to improve the effectiveness of counter piracy forces near Somalia. On 18
and 19 December a delegation from the Allied Maritime Command (HQ MARCOM)
visited St. Petersburg where they met with their Russian counterparts in a
very open and constructive atmosphere. With the vast number of nations
involved in the fight against piracy, talks like these are an effective
means to maximise the output of the international effort.
Rear Admiral Hank Ort, head of NATO's delegation and his
Russian counterpart Rear Admiral Leonid Sukhanov agreed that although piracy
figures are declining, complacency must be avoided at all cost. While the
number of ships that have been attacked or highjacked over the past year is
far lower than the previous year, the time is not to sit back and relax.
Pirates collected approximately 150 million dollar last year in ransom,
which is potentially still available to them to step up their game again.
Forces
off the Horn of Africa all have the same objective: to prevent merchant
ships and their crews from being harmed and taken hostage for ransom.
Agreeing on the way of working between different nations and the possibility
to exchange information are key to success and the main reason for meeting.
For that purpose both parties agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding on the
use of a communication system which supports secure sharing of information
related to piracy in the area. This allows the memorandum to be signed in
the near future. Also a document describing the common conduct of counter
piracy operations (Common Approaches and Procedures) was signed by Rear
Admiral Ort and Rear Admiral Sukhanov.
NATO and the Russian Federation cooperate on a wide range of topics among
which counter piracy. Rear Admiral Geir Osen, NATO's military liaison in
Moscow, joined the meeting and noted the cooperative posture of both
delegations. "Not only are important practical steps taken to work together
more efficiently in maritime operations near Somalia, but increased mutual
awareness and understanding is also established, which is incredibly
valuable in the longer term".
29 Aug 12
Olympic "Games Maker" remembers a "superb experience"
As the Paralympic Games start, WO
Ali Henicher who is Head of the French National Support Element in Atlantic
Building reflects on his time as a “games maker” for the Olympic Games. WO
Henicher submitted an online application in June 2010 to become a games
maker, he was interviewed in June 2011 and shortly after was told he’d been
successful. During the Games, WO Henicher was based at the fencing arena in
the ExCel Centre where he was part of a team of 15 looking after the all the
fencing equipment and area. He said, “ it was a superb experience to be part
of the Olympics.
Working in the fencing arena gave me the opportunity to see some first class
fencing as well as
talk to some of the coaches.” But it wasn’t all work, WO Henicher was able
to see some judo, table
tennis, boxing and wrestling as well as the final of the men’s handball
competition which France won!
23 Mar 12
NATO and the International Maritime Bureau increase
Cooperation on Counter Piracy
Yesterday,
Captain Pottengal Mukundan, Director of the International Maritime Bureau
(IMB) was invited to MC Northwood to meet with the staff of the
NATO Shipping
Centre. The purpose of this meeting was to maintain and strengthen the
dialogue between the two organisations that work to provide the maritime
community with the best information products possible to avoid piracy.
The IMB is based in London and is
a specialised division within the Commercial Crimes Services of the
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). IMB’s primary mission is to protect
the integrity of international trade by seeking out fraud and malpractice.
One of the
IMB’s principal areas of expertise is in the suppression of piracy.
Concerned at the alarming growth in the phenomenon, this led to the creation
of the
IMB Piracy Reporting Centre
in 1992, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It maintains a round-the-clock watch on
the world’s shipping lanes, reporting pirate attacks to local law
enforcement and issuing warnings to shipping about piracy hotspots.
Both
Captain Mukundan and Michael Howlett, Divisional Director of the IMB,
addressed the Senior Leadership and operational sectors of MC Northwood
Headquarters (HQ), NATO, sharing information on how the
Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau, the Financial Investigation Bureau and
the IMB look at trade finance fraud, container crime, charter party fraud,
phantom ship fraud and their relationship with the Piracy Reporting Centre
and Counter Piracy as a whole.
This informative overview provided
comprehensive knowledge and background that will no doubt prove to be useful
to work being done at this NATO HQ.
The
IMB and the NATO Shipping Centre share the same goal: to reduce the impact
of piracy by providing sea-farers with timely and comprehensive information
on the threat of piracy at sea. Because IMB and the NATO Shipping Centre are
part of two quite different organisations (the ICC and NATO) the information
they gather is also quite different in nature and in scope. Meetings like
these are therefore particularly valuable, allowing both IMB and NATO to
complement their understanding of pirate practices and organisation and also
to set up a permanent dialogue for information exchange. For example, NATO
is providing IMB with its “Daily
and weekly updates”
and IMB provides NATO with shipping industry facts and figures which would
be out of reach without this dialogue.
IMB and the NATO Shipping Centre
have agreed to pursue and extend this fruitful relationship and will
continue to work together for safer shipping lanes.
20 Jan 12
UK Officer Awarded NATO Meritorious Service Medal
Yesterday,
as one of his first acts as Commander of Maritime Command Northwood,
Admiral George Zambellas presented Commander Andy Jackman with the NATO
Meritorious Service Medal for his work in Bahrain as NATO's
Counter-Piracy Liaison Officer. In the 2½ years
Cdr Jackman has been at Northwood, he has been deployed to
Bahrain twice, the second time during the political unrest. Adm
Zambellas said that "Cdr Jackman has applied his professional knowledge,
intellect and diplomacy exceptionally well in successfully progressing
the goals of NATO, MC Northwood and Operation Ocean Shield."
Text of
citation
13 Dec 11
NATO Staff Member of the Year 2011
The
Staff Member of the Year is awarded to Non-Commissioned Officers for
exceptional service to the HQ. Yesterday, Admiral Sir Trevor Soar
KCB OBE presented the award to Petty Officer Logistician (Writer) Cheryl
Nightingale.
Her citation reads: Joining the Headquarters in April
this year, PO Nightingale has primarily worked in the HQ Protocol
Office, responsible for the planning, organisation and supervision of
all official visitors to the headquarters, some 1 400 to date this year.
Upon arrival she immediately took on the responsibility for organising
the significant protocol element of Exercise Bold Monarch, an
international submarine escape exercise conducted off the coast of
Spain; an event attended by several Chiefs of Navy and VIPs. Working
closely with the HQ Security Office, with minimal supervision, her
attention to detail and organisational skills ensured a very successful
event, earning her a personal commendation from Rear Admiral Corder,
(CMSUBNORTH).
Working as part of a busy and lean HQ Support
Group, PO Nightingale has also shown her flexibility in covering for the
Building and Facilities Manager whilst maintaining her core
responsibilities. Often working long hours without complaint her staff
work skills are of an extremely high standard and her effervescent
personality and "can do" attitude have made her a thoroughly popular and
effective member of staff who is widely respected and relied upon.
She is a thoroughly deserving recipient of the award for
Maritime Command Northwood's Staff Member of the Year 2011.
18 Nov 11
Gibbo Walks to Twickenham
Petty Officer Andy “Gibbo” Gibbs is going to walk from Tedworth House to
Twickenham carrying the match ball for the Help for Heroes
rugby challenge on the 3 Dec. This is Gibbo’s third big walk this year
which has seen him raise over £60 000 for Help for Heroes in 2011.
Gibbo will set off from Tedworth House at 1200 on the 28 November and
head off to Twickenham Stadium arriving at the Stadium just in time to
watch the teams train on the 2 Dec. Gibbo as he is known will then head
off into London and show off the match ball and raise some more money
before walking back from the Union Jack Club to Twickenham on the
Saturday morning.
To find out more information about the Heroes Rugby match visit:
http://heroesrugby.org.uk/
17 Nov 11
Captain Honoured As He Retires From Navy
Capt.
Fred Smith (USN) was today presented with the Commander’s Commendation
certificate to mark the end of his time at Northwood as Head of the
Intelligence Division. He held the post for 2 years. The citation read
“His efforts have had direct impact on the successes enjoyed by NATO, EU
and CMF forces operating in the JOA.... a credit to his Navy, country
and NATO, he is commended for his contribution to Operation Ocean
Shield.” Not only is Capt Smith leaving NATO, he is also retiring from
the US Navy and to mark this occasion, he was presented with the Defense
Superior Service Medal in recognition of his significant contribution to
NATO and to the US Navy over his 30-year career.
10 Nov 11
Africa Medal presented to Northwood personnel
Earlier today, Northwood's Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral Hank Ort
presented the Africa Medal to CPO Dee Parker (USA N) and to Sgt David
Best (RAF). the medal is presented to those personnel who have worked on
counter piracy operations in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden for 30
days or more.
22 August 11
Nelson Bear and his friends go to a
football match
On 20th August Nelson Bear along with 4 colleagues from MC
Northwood attended the N Power League 1 football match between Brentford
and Leyton Orient. Nelson, otherwise known as CPO James Cameron-Wood was
there fundraising in support of Help for Heroes. It was a truly
international affair as Nelson took along some of his friends, PO Lindy
Hulzinga (Netherlands Navy), Master Sgt Rita Upchurch (US Air Force), AB
Matt Arminshaw (RN) and PO “Gibbo” Gibbs (RN). During the day a total of
£1760 was raised and Nelson may well be invited back as Brentford won 5
nil.
8 July 11
Commendation for Out Going Division Head
Yesterday
on his last day at Northwood, Capt. Adrian van der Linde was presented with
a commendation by Rear Admiral Hank Ort. Capt. van der Linde received this
in recognition of his contribution to the Operations Division as
Divisional Head and to the HQ over the 5 years he was here. The commendation
stated “ within the realm of counter-piracy operations he quickly
established himself as an operations expert and gained confidence across the
wide spectrum of stakeholders from military to political and including the
shipping industry. “
22 June 11
PO Leblanc 54 Hole Golf Challenge For Charity
Earlier
this week, PO1 Gilles LeBlanc (Can N) completed a mammoth 12 hour, 54 hole
golf challenge raising £600 for the two NATO charities Linda Jackson
Macmillan Centre and the Peace Children’s Centre Watford. PO1 LeBlanc
completed the three rounds of gulf and was welcomed back to the club house
at Batchworth park Golf Club by Lt Cdr Janet McDougall (CAN N).
His colleague, PO Andy Gibbs (RN) collected
another £110 from the club members. In total, between the efforts of PO1
LeBlanc and PO Gibbs and his team, a total of over £800 was raised.
Full
text and Pictures
16 June 11
Commendation Award Presented to Commander
Larry Trim (Can N)
Earlier
today Commander Larry Trim (Can N) was awarded a commendation by Rear
Admiral Hank Ort. Commander Trim received the commendation because as
the Future Ops Branch Head
he provided an outstanding support to MC Northwood during his two years
tour. He demonstrated an outstanding professionalism by utilizing his
knowledge, experience and expertise and was determined to improve the
fight against piracy.
For the afloat forces and their staffs as well as for the higher
headquarters in NATO, EU and CMF Commander Trim has been recognised as a
key point of contact for Operation Ocean Shield. Commander Trim's
outstanding performance in this Headquarters has undoubtedly contributed
to the success and the reputation of excellence in MC Northwood.
16 June 11
Belgian Ambassador and Estonian Ambassador visit NATO Northwood
Yesterday
the Belgian Ambassador to the UK, Mr Johan Verbeke and the Estonian
Ambassador to the UK Mrs Aino Lepik von Wirén visited MC Northwood to
receive a first hand view of MC Northwood's role including a brief on
Operation Ocean Shield and NATO's Maritime Standing Groups. They also
received a brief on Operation Atalanta of EUNAVFOR. The Ambassadors took
the opportunity to meet with the delegations of their home countries.
http://www.estonia.gov.uk/news_events/news/aid-1636
02 June 11
A Commendation Award was Presented to Petty Officer Andy Gibbs
(Royal Navy)
A
Commendation Award was
presented today to Petty Officer Andy Gibbs (Royal Navy) by
Commodore Bruce Belliveau (Canadian Navy, MC Northwood Deputy Chief of
Staff Operations). Since he arrived in Northwood, PO Gibbs has dedicated
a significant part of his spare time to collecting funds for the “Help
for Heroes” charity. PO Gibbs helped raise over £70 000 to support
members
of the Armed Forces who have been wounded in the line of duty. To reach
this figure, he collected money in central London and walked 168 miles
between Wembley
and Cardiff for the Wales v. England football match. During the HQ’s
weekly brief, Commodore Belliveau took the opportunity to express NATO’s
appreciation for the dedication and selflessness shown by PO Gibbs.
27 May 11
NATO Hosts International Evening
Last
night the NATO nations represented at Northwood had the opportunity to
showcase their food, drink and national dress with colleagues as they
celebrated their annual international night. Countries wore their
national costumes with pride and spectacular food dishes were presented
throughout the night. Dishes and drinks form Belgium, Canada, Denmark,
Estonia, Latvia, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Spain, USA, Turkey and UK were present. This year
marked the second time Swedish EU colleagues joined the festivities with
their national food and drink. Due to the enthusiasm of all countries
and the enormous effort put in the stands and the dishes the event was a
night to remember. An important part of the evening is the raffle
organized by the Northwood officers wives. Each country donates a basket
of national ‘goodies’ and this year £2200.00 was raised for the Sunshine
house school in Northwood
www.rnib.org.uk
.This school is a special school that provides
for the visual impaired, children with physical disabilities, severe
learning difficulties, delicate medical conditions and dual/multi
sensory impairment. The cheque was handed to its executive head Mr John
Ayres which was much appreciated.
16 May 11
Exercise Bold Monarch 2011
NATO
COMSUBNORTH (CSN), led by Captain Dave Dittmer, USN (front, 4th from
left) will conduct Exercise BOLD MONARCH 2011 (BMH11) 28 May to 10 June
2011 – BMH11 is the World’s largest submarine Escape and Rescue Exercise
and will be held off CARTAGENA, Spain. The Host Nation, Spain, are
providing the largest number of participants including the LPD, ESPS
GALICIA, as the ‘Command Ship’ that will accommodate the Exercise
Control Staff (EXCON). The CSN EXCON will take Tactical Command (TACOM)
of 4 submarines, 4 rescue systems and 12 support ships to train,
exercise and demonstrate worldwide cooperation in Submarine Rescue.
Aircraft from Italy, UK and USA will also participate in a search and
insertion phase. BMH11 is the eighth in a series of NATO Submarine
Escape and Rescue exercises, held every 3 years, and will see a
Russian submarine (from the Russian Federation Navy Black Sea Fleet)
participate for the first time. International support includes units and
personnel from: Spain (Host Nation), Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands,
Norway, Portugal, Turkey, UK, USA, as well as non-NATO countries like
Sweden and Russia. Observers will attend from Argentina, Australia,
Ecuador, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Malaysia, Peru, Poland,
Republic of South Korea, Singapore, Ukraine and Vietnam.
11 May 11
Commendation Award Presented to CDR Frederick Borgmann (NOR-N)
During
the Daily Brief CDR Fredrick Borgmann
(Orlogskaptein NOR Navy) was awarded with a
Commendation Award for his outstanding work as a Battle Watch Captain in
general and especially during the first weekend of April, when a complex
situation occurred with regard to Operation Ocean Shield. His sense of
urgency and high level of motivation created a clear picture during that
weekend and therefore the situation could be dealt with accurately and in
good coordination with the Commander Task Force (CTF 508) afloat.
The Commendation Award was presented to him by Rear Admiral Hank Ort (NLN),
Chief of Staff in Northwood.
03 May 11
Netherlands Minister of Defence visited MC
Northwood
Today
His Excellency Hans Hillen, Netherlands Minister of Defence, visited MC
Northwood and was welcomed by Northwood`s Chief of Staff Rear Admiral
Hank Ort. The Minister was accompanied by Mr. Lo Casteleijn (the
Principal Director of General Policy Affairs), Major General Tom
Middendorp (Director of Operations), Mrs. Sascha Louwhoff (Senior
Spokesperson Minister of Defence) and Major Timon van Dishoeck
(Aide-de-Camp to the Minister of Defence). The Minister had an informal
lunch with the Netherlands delegation at MC Northwood. During the lunch
the Minister presented Commander Andre van der Kamp (Royal
Netherlands Navy) with a commendation award for excellent performance.
After the lunch His Excellence Hans Hillen received a briefing on the
importance of Counter Piracy and how the deterrence and disruption of
pirate activities makes a difference to the safety of all seafarers.
01 April 11
Services Commendation Award
Today
Chief Petty Officer J.B.H. de Bont (NLN) was awarded with the Service
Commendation Award for 25 years of service in the Royal Netherlands
Navy. The Services Commendation Award was presented to him by Rear
Admiral Hank Ort (NLN), Chief of Staff in Northwood.
03 March 11Award of the NATO Africa
Medal
Today
the Africa medal was presented to Lt James B Robinson UK RNR by Commodore
Bruce Belliveau (CAN) Deputy Chief of Staff Operations in Northwood, for his
participation in Operation Ocean Shield. Lt Robinson was deployed as Liaison
Officer on
HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën in July and August 2010. In addition he acted as
Chief of Intelligence during that time. Lt Robinson is a Royal Naval
Reservist from HMS Ferret, which is located at RAF Chicksands in
Bedfordshire.
28 Feb 11
CTF 151 Desig and CTF 465 Desig Visit Northwood
On 23 and 25 February, respectively Captain
Alberto Silvestre Correia (PRT N) Commander Desig CTF 465 and Colonel
Chan Harris Weng Yip (Singapore Armed Forces), Commander Desig CTF 151
visited Northwood to receive briefings on NATO's Counter-Piracy
Operation Ocean Shield and to discuss associated issues. CTF 465 is
EUNAVFOR's Somalia-Operation Atalanta to protect vulnerable vessels in
the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy.
CTF 151 is the Counter Piracy Task Force from the Combined Maritime
Forces. Colonel Chan Harris Weng Yip exchanged plaques with both
NATO's DCOM
Vice Admiral Hans-Jochen Witthauer and EUNAVFOR DCOM Rear Admiral Guido
Rando. Both Captain Correia and Col Chan Harris will assume
command in April 2011.
View Pictures
16 Feb 11
DSACEUR Desig Visits Northwood
Today,
MC Northwood’s Deputy Commander, Vice Admiral Hans-Jochen Witthauer,
hosted a visit by Lt General Sir Richard Shirreff KCB CBE who will
assume the post of Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR) on 1
March 2011. During his visit Lt Gen Shirreff was briefed on Northwood’s
role, structure and responsibilities. In addition, he was given an
update on NATO’s counter piracy mission, Operation Ocean Shield.
11 Feb 11
Director of NATO Office of Resources Visits MC Northwood
Today
Mr Wayne Bush, Director of the NATO Office of Resources paid a visit to
MC Northwood and was welcomed by Northwood`s Commander Admiral Sir
Trevor Soar KCB OBE. Mr Bush received a briefing on NATO’s maritime
counter piracy mission codenamed Operation Ocean Shield, which sees NATO
warships patrolling the waters off the Horn of Africa. In addition Mr
Bush received briefs on Northwood's resources and capabilities. At the
end of the visit Mr Bush received a guided tour of site facilities.
28 Jan 11
Canadian Chief of Maritime Staff Visits MC
Northwood
Vice
Admiral Dean McFadden payed a visit to MC Northwood today and was
welcomed by Northwood's Deputy Commander Vice Admiral Hans-Jochen
Witthauer and Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Hank Ort. Vice Admiral
McFadden received a briefing on NATO's counter piracy Operation Ocean
Shield. In addition he received an update on EUNAVFOR's counter piracy
operation Atalanta. Vice Admiral Mc Fadden also took the opportunity to
meet the Canadian contingent in Northwood.
21 Jan 11
Turkish Admiral Visits MC Northwood
RAdm(U/H)
Hasan UŞAKLIOĞLU (Turkish NMR to SHAPE) payed a visit today to MC
Northwood and was welcomed by Northwood`s Deputy Commander Vice Admiral
Hans-Jochen Witthauer and Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Hank Ort. Admiral
Hasan UŞAKLIOĞLU received a briefing on NATO’s counter piracy mission,
Operation Ocean Shield and took the opportunity to discuss the operation
and to meet with the Turkish Military Personnel at MC Northwood.
20 Jan 11
Northwood Bids Farewell to Long Serving Civilians
Today
a special farewell was held for two men in Northwood’s Headquarters; Mr
Bernhard Lindenau, who has worked as an accountant for 25 years and Mr
Mario Tortelano who has worked as head of linguistic department for 28
years. They have both seen many Commanders of NATO, Deputies, Chiefs of
Staffs and other military personnel. Their working lives in the
headquarters were recalled by DCOM Vice Admiral Hans-Jochen Witthauer as
he thanked them for their contribution and presented them with gifts.
14 Jan 11
Joint Force Commander Lisbon Visits Northwood
The
Joint Force Commander Lisbon Lt General Philippe Stoltz is welcomed by
Admiral Sir Trevor Soar KCB OBE- The Allied Maritime Commander of
Northwood. The aim of the visit is to discuss the way ahead of
Operation Ocean Shield with regards to the forthcoming strategic review.
16 Dec 10
Santa and His Elves Visit Northwood
Earlier
today Santa made a short visit to MC Northwood with some of his elves.
Taking a break from his pre-Christmas duties, he offered staff coffee
and cake when they made a donation to MC Northwood’s charities. He was
very persuasive and in a short time he had raised £240. MC Northwood’s
two charities are the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre at Mount Vernon
Hospital and The Peace Children’s Centre in Watford.
09 Dec 10
Local Charities Benefit from NATO Fundraising
For
staff at Northwood HQ , yesterday marked the culmination of a year of
fundraising when they were able to present two local charities with
cheques for £1500. Admiral Sir Trevor Soar KCB OBE presented cheques to
Buzz Coster from the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre at Mount Vernon
Hospital and to Anne Jervis and James Johnstone from The Peace
Children’s Centre in Watford. On receiving her cheque, Ms Coster said “
as members of the armed forces you are used to the idea of battle. We
help individuals fighting their own personal battle against cancer.
Thank for this magnificent total.” Representing The Peace Centre, Ms
Jervis said, “thank you for this wonderful donation. We are currently
refurbishing our reception area and this will be used to purchase new
seating and a specialist wheelchair.” The money was raised at various
events and raffles throughout 2010. For more information about the two
charities, please use the following links
http://www.ljmc.org/
and
http://www.hertschs.nhs.uk/services/children/Peace_Childrens_Centre/default.aspx
09 Dec 10
NATO Staff
Member Of The Year 2010 - Sergeant Simon Marshall
The
Staff Member of the Year is awarded to Non-Commissioned Officers for
exceptional service to the HQ. Today, Admiral Sir Trevor Soar KCB
OBE presented the award to Sergeant Simon Marshall.
The past year saw Sergeant Marshall establish his
reputation as NATO’s Subject Matter Expert for counter-piracy. Sergeant
Marshall’s achievements this year have been exceptional. Firstly, he
deployed as NATO’s Intelligence Coordinator to HQ CMF Bahrain (Dec
09-Apr 10) as the first SNCO, and also as a rider embarked in HDMS
ABSALON, CTF 508’s flagship. At Northwood he works long hours, including
weekends and holidays, routinely delivering a product of the highest
standard.
Full Citation