
Allied Command Channel (ACCHAN) was one of three major North Atlantic Treaty Organization (
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
) commands from 1952 to 1994. Commander-in-Chief Channel was a Major NATO Commander (MNC).
The Command was established in 1952 to defend the sea areas and allied shipping around the
English Channel
The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
. In case of war with the
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...
, United States reinforcements, crucial to defeat a Soviet advance towards the
Rhine
The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
, would have passed through the English Channel and disembarked mainly in the ports of
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
and
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
. Therefore, ACCHAN's area of operations included most of the Southern part of the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
and all of the Channel up to the
Celtic Sea
The Celtic Sea is the area of the Atlantic Ocean off the southern coast of Ireland bounded to the north by St George's Channel, Saint George's Channel; other limits include the Bristol Channel, the English Channel, and the Bay of Biscay, as wel ...
.
Structure

At the end of the
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
ACCHAN had the following structure:
* Allied Command Channel (ACCHAN), in
Northwood, United Kingdom
** Nore Sub-Area Channel (NORECHAN), in
Pitreavie, United Kingdom
** Plymouth Sub-Area Channel (PLYMCHAN), in
Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
, United Kingdom
** Benelux Sub-Area Channel (BENECHAN), in
Den Helder
Den Helder () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula. It is home to the country's main naval base.
From here the Royal TESO fe ...
,
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
** Allied Maritime Air Force Channel (AIRCHAN), in Northwood, United Kingdom
*** Maritime Air Nore Sub-Area Channel (AIRNORECHAN), in Pitreavie, United Kingdom
*** Maritime Air Plymouth Sub-Area Channel (AIRPLYMCHAN), in Plymouth, United Kingdom
** Standing Naval Force Channel (STANAVFORCHAN), afloat
Commander-in-Chief
The Commander-in-Chief, Allied Command Channel (CINCHAN) was a British admiral, who reported directly to the
NATO Military Committee
The NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s Military Committee (MC) is the body that is composed of Member states of NATO, member states' Chief of Defence, Chiefs of Defence (CHOD). These national CHODs are regularly represented in the M ...
's Standing Group and was identified as a "Major NATO Commander" (like
SACEUR
The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO's headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The command ...
and
Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
The Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT) was one of two supreme commanders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the other being the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). The SACLANT led Allied Command Atlantic was based ...
(SACLANT).
CINCHAN double hatted as follows:
* 1952-1966 Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. The commanders-in-chief were based at premises in High Street, Portsmouth from the 1790s until the end of Thomas Williams (Royal Navy officer), Si ...
* 1966-1971 Commander-in-Chief British Western Fleet (who doubled as NATO Commander-in-Chief Eastern Atlantic (CINCEASTLANT))
* 1971-1994 Commander-in-Chief Fleet
The Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET) was the admiral responsible for the operations of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the British Royal Navy from 1971 until April 2012. The post was subordinate to the First Sea Lord, the professional h ...
(CINCFLEET) (who doubled as NATO Commander-in-Chief Eastern Atlantic (CINCEASTLANT))
Allied Command Channel was based initially at Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
, but in 1966 the command moved to Northwood, where the Western Fleet / Commander-in-Chief Eastern Atlantic was based.
In 1971 Commander-in-Chief Fleet
The Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET) was the admiral responsible for the operations of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the British Royal Navy from 1971 until April 2012. The post was subordinate to the First Sea Lord, the professional h ...
became CINCCHAN. On 1 July 1994, the Channel Command was disestablished: however most of its subordinate commands remained in existence although reshuffled: most of the headquarters were absorbed within Allied Command Europe particularly as part of the new Allied Forces Northwestern Europe. A Channel Committee consisting of the naval Chiefs-of-Staff of Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom served as an advisory and consultative body to the Commander-in-Chief, Channel.[
]
Nore Sub-Area Channel Command
The Nore Sub-Area Channel Command (NORECHAN) was a command based at HM Dockyard Chatham in Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
. NORECHAN's task was to prevent Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...
ship and submarines passing through the Northern North Sea toward allied shipping routes in the English Channel
The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
. Originally the commander of NORECHAN was the Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
Commander-in-Chief, The Nore
The Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Nore Station or Nore Command. Nore, The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of t ...
. After the Royal Navy disestablished that post in 1961, the NORECHAN commander became Flag Officer Scotland & Northern Ireland at Pitreavie Castle in Rosyth
Rosyth () is a town and Garden City in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth.
Scotland's first Garden city movement, Garden City, Rosyth is part of the Greater Dunfermline Area and is located 3 miles south of Dunfermline city cen ...
in Scotland, who was already double-hatted as commander of Northern Sub-Area (NORLANT) of Allied Command Atlantic
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...
(ACLANT). Therefore, the following command structure resulted:
* 1952-1961 Commander-in-Chief, The Nore
The Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Nore Station or Nore Command. Nore, The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of t ...
/ Commander NORECHAN
*
1961-1994 Flag Officer Scotland & Northern Ireland / Commander NORECHAN / Commander NORLANT
Plymouth Sub-Area Channel Command
The Plymouth Sub-Area Channel Command (PLYMCHAN) was a command based at Admiralty House in Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
. As the Eastern approaches to the English Channel were defended by NORECHAN and BENECHAN, PLYMCHAN's task was to prevent Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...
submarines from entering the Western side of the channel. Therefore, PLYMCHAN had a large number of anti-submarine warships at its disposal, which would operate where Channel and Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
intersect. PLYMCHAN would have operated alongside the French Navy
The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...
, which was not integrated into NATO's command structures. In 1969 the positions of Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. Between 1845 and 1896, this offi ...
and Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. The commanders-in-chief were based at premises in High Street, Portsmouth from the 1790s until the end of Thomas Williams (Royal Navy officer), Si ...
were merged as Commander-in-Chief, Naval Home Command (CINCNAVHOME) and command of PLYMCHAN passed to the Flag Officer Plymouth, who also double hatted as NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
Commander Central Sub-Area (CENTLANT). Therefore, the following command structure resulted:
* 1952-1969 Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. Between 1845 and 1896, this offi ...
/ Commander PLYMCHAN
* 1969-1994 Flag Officer Plymouth / Commander CENTLANT / Commander PLYMCHAN
Benelux Sub-Area Channel Command
In case of war the entire Belgian naval combat force would have come under NATO's Benelux Sub-Area Channel Command (BENECHAN), a joint Dutch-Belgian command in Den Helder
Den Helder () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula. It is home to the country's main naval base.
From here the Royal TESO fe ...
under ACCHAN. BENECHAN was one of ACCHAN's three naval sub-commands. BENECHAN's area of operation comprised a large portion of the southern part of the North Sea and would command the entire Belgian Naval Force as well as the Home Fleet of the Royal Netherlands Navy
The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world.
During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...
.
While the commander of BENECHAN was always the commanding admiral of the larger and more powerful Netherlands naval forces-at-home, Belgium's Commander Naval Operations served as the BENECHAN's Chief of Staff. The combined Dutch and Belgian staff at Den Helder in the Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
was tasked with ensuring that the approach, coastal, and entrance channels to Belgian and Netherlands' ports were always open for allied shipping. As ACCHAN's other two sub-commands PLYMCHAN (Plymouth Sub-Area Channel Command) and NORECHAN (The Nore Sub-Area Channel Command) defended the direct approaches to the Belgian and Dutch coast via the English channel and the North Sea and as BALTAP's German-Danish Allied Naval Forces Baltic Approaches Command (COMNAVBALTAP) kept the Soviet Baltic Fleet
The Baltic Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea.
Established 18 May 1703, under Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Baltic Fleet is the oldest Russian fleet. In 1918, the fleet w ...
bottled up in the Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
, the main risk for allied shipping in the BENECHAN area of operations were air and submarine dropped naval mines
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive weapon placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Similar to anti-personnel and other land mines, and unlike purpose launched naval depth charges, they are deposited and le ...
.
Therefore, the Belgian Naval Force fielded a large number of minesweepers and minehunters. As American reinforcements, crucial to defeat a Soviet advance towards the Rhine
The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
, would have disembarked mainly in the ports of Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
and Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
, the Belgians fielded 10 inshore minesweeper to keep the Western Scheldt
The Western Scheldt ( ), in the province of Zeeland in the southwestern Netherlands, is the estuary of the Scheldt river. This river once had several estuaries, but the others are now disconnected from the Scheldt, leaving the Westerschelde as ...
free of naval mines. To increase interoperability and to have a quickly deployable force ACCHAN included the Standing Naval Force Channel (STANAVFORCHAN), which consisted of seven to nine mine countermeasure vessels from the Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
, German Navy
The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official ...
, Royal Netherlands Navy and Belgian Naval Force.
After the end of the Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
BENECHAN became the Dutch-Belgian bi-national command Admiral Benelux
The Admiral Benelux (ABNL) is the commanding officer of the combined military staff of the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Naval Component of the Belgian Armed Forces.
The position of ABNL was created together with the combination of the Staffs o ...
in Den Helder
Den Helder () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula. It is home to the country's main naval base.
From here the Royal TESO fe ...
.
Allied Maritime Air Force Channel
Allied Maritime Air Force Command (MAIRCHAN) was based at Northwood Headquarters
Northwood Headquarters is a military headquarters facility of the British Armed Forces in Eastbury, Hertfordshire, England, adjacent to the London suburb of Northwood. It is home to the following military command and control functions:
#Headq ...
and its commander was the Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
Air Marshal commanding No. 18 (Maritime) Group. He was also the Commander Maritime Air Eastern Atlantic (MAIREASTLANT) under CinC, Eastern Atlantic (CINCEASTLANT), which was a command subordinate to Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
The Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT) was one of two supreme commanders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the other being the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). The SACLANT led Allied Command Atlantic was based ...
(SACLANT).
In case of war the following units would be under MAIRCHAN. Allied reinforcements flying from bases or operating in the area of MAIRCHAN would also have come under its control:
* No. 18 (Maritime) Group, Northwood Headquarters
Northwood Headquarters is a military headquarters facility of the British Armed Forces in Eastbury, Hertfordshire, England, adjacent to the London suburb of Northwood. It is home to the following military command and control functions:
#Headq ...
, doubled as NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
Commander Maritime Air Eastern Atlantic (COMAIREASTLANT) and Commander Allied Maritime Air Force Channel (COMAIRCHAN)
**Maritime Air Region North, RAF Pitreavie Castle, Rosyth
Rosyth () is a town and Garden City in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth.
Scotland's first Garden city movement, Garden City, Rosyth is part of the Greater Dunfermline Area and is located 3 miles south of Dunfermline city cen ...
, doubled as Commander Maritime Air Northern Sub-Area (MAIRNORLANT) and Commander Maritime Air Nore Sub-Area Channel (AIRNORECHAN)
***RAF Kinloss
Royal Air Force Kinloss, or more simply RAF Kinloss, is a former Royal Air Force station located near the village of Kinloss, on the Moray Firth in the north east of Scotland, UK.
The RAF station opened on 1 April 1939 and served as a traini ...
**** No. 120 Squadron RAF, (Maritime patrol
Maritime patrol or maritime reconnaissance is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities.
Maritime patrol refers to active ...
, 8x Nimrod MR.2)
**** No. 201 Squadron RAF, (Maritime patrol, 8x Nimrod MR.2)
**** No. 206 Squadron RAF, (Maritime patrol, 8x Nimrod MR.2)
*** RAF Lossiemouth
Royal Air Force Lossiemouth or more commonly RAF Lossiemouth is a military airfield located on the western edge of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, north-east Scotland.
Lossiemouth is one of the largest and busiest fast-jet stations in the ...
**** No. 8 Squadron RAF, (Airborne early warning and control
An airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system is an airborne radar early warning system designed to detect aircraft, ships, vehicles, missiles and other incoming projectiles at long ranges, as well as performing command and control of the ...
, 12x Avro Shackleton AEW.2)
**** No. 12 Squadron RAF, ( Maritime attack, 16x Buccaneer S.2B )note 1
**** No. 208 Squadron RAF, (Maritime attack, 16x Buccaneer S.2B )note 1
**** No. 226 Operational Conversion Unit RAF, (16x Jaguar GR.1A)note 1
**** No. 237 Operational Conversion Unit RAF, (Maritime attack, 16x Buccaneer S.2B)
**** No. 48 Squadron RAF Regiment, (Air Defence, 8x Rapier
A rapier () is a type of sword originally used in Spain (known as ' -) and Italy (known as '' spada da lato a striscia''). The name designates a sword with a straight, slender and sharply pointed two-edged long blade wielded in one hand. It wa ...
launch stations)
** Maritime Air Region South, Admiralty House, Plymouth, doubled as Commander Maritime Air Central Sub-Area (MAIRCENTLANT) and Commander Maritime Air Plymouth Sub-Area Channel (AIRPLYMCHAN)
*** RAF St Mawgan
**** No. 42 Squadron RAF, (Maritime patrol, 8x Nimrod MR.2)
**** No. 236 Operational Conversion Unit RAF, (3x Nimrod MR.2)
*** Netherlands Naval Aviation Service
The Netherlands Naval Aviation Service (, shortened to MLD) is the naval aviation branch of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
History
World War I
Although the MLD was formed in 1914, with the building of a seaplane base at De Mok, Texel, it deve ...
, Valkenburg Naval Air Base, Netherlands
**** No. 320 Squadron MLD with 6x P-3 Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. It is based on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner by Lockheed; it is e ...
maritime patrol aircraft
**** No. 321 Squadron MLD with 6x P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft
**** Training Flight with 1x P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft
Note 1: Unit had a nuclear strike role and had twelve WE.177 tactical nuclear weapon
A tactical nuclear weapon (TNW) or non-strategic nuclear weapon (NSNW) is a nuclear weapon that is designed to be used on a battlefield in military situations, mostly with friendly forces in proximity and perhaps even on contested friendly territ ...
s.
Standing Naval Force Channel
Standing Naval Force Channel (STANAVFORCHAN), activated on May 11, 1973 as an active mine countermeasure squadron directly under the command of CINCHAN. The squadron was tasked with the protection of the English Channel and the Southern North Sea. STANAVFORCHAN consisted of seven to nine mine countermeasure vessels from the Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
, German Navy
The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official ...
, Royal Netherlands Navy
The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world.
During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...
and Belgian Naval Force, which were assigned to the squadron for either six or twelve months. The command of the squadron rotated between the participating countries, with the exception of Germany. As the squadron had no homeport it spent most time afloat or on port visits in allied nations.
STANAVFORCHAN continuously trained mine clearance
Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing land mines from an area. In military operations, the object is to rapidly clear a path through a minefield, and this is often done with devices such as mine plows and blast waves. By contr ...
and allied cooperation to ensure that in case of war the four allied nations would be able to defuse Soviet mines dropped by airplane or submarine in their area of operations rapidly. In 2000-01 STANAVFORCHAN changed name and composition when the Royal Danish Navy
The Royal Danish Navy (, ) is the Naval warfare, sea-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Denmark, Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and ...
and Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy () is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for navy, naval operations of Norway, including those of the Norwegian Coast Guard. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 i ...
joined the squadron.
From 3 September 2001 it was known as the Mine Countermeasures Force North Western Europe (MCMFORNORTH) and from 1 January 2005 it became Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1
Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) standing mine countermeasures immediate reaction force. Its role is to provide NATO with an immediate operational response capability.
History
Fro ...
.
References
{{reflist
Formations of the NATO Military Command Structure 1952–1994
Military units and formations established in 1952