Two of NATO’s Immediate Reaction Forces meet at sea.

With only a few orders, the Italian mine hunter ITS Alghero gently leads the Netherlands frigate HNLMS De Ruyter and the Canadian Frigate HMCS Charlottetown through a path that she cleared of mines shortly before. Fortunately, this time the minefield is simulated and it serves as a means to bring the unique capabilities of both the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 and the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasure Group 2 together. But only half a year ago such a lead through was done for real, when NATO’s mine countermeasures vessels worked in the approaches to Libyan.