Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 Standing NATO Maritime Group One ( SNMG1 ) is one of NATO ' s standing maritime Immediate Reaction Forces . Prior to 1 January 2005 it was known as Standing Naval Force Atlantic ( STANAVFORLANT ) . The group was also briefly called the Standing NATO Response Force Maritime Group One . SNMG1 consists of 4 to 6 destroyers and frigates , with the Royal Canadian Navy , the Deutsche Marine ( German Navy ) , the Koninklijke Marine ( Royal Netherlands Navy ) , and the United States Navy each contributing 1 ship on a permanent basis . These are joined periodically by ships from Italy , Belgium , Denmark , Norway , Poland , Portugal , and Spain . The force operates , trains and exercises as a group , providing day - to - day verification of current NATO maritime procedures , tactics and effectiveness . Ships are usually attached to the force for up to six months , on a rotating basis . Units of one nation do not necessarily relieve ships of the same nation . The force commander and the staff are appointed for one year , with the force commander rotating among the participating nations . Since 30 May 2013 , the force is under the command of Commodore Henning Amundsen flying his flag in the Norwegian frigate HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen ( F310 ) . Operations . In peacetime , the force exercises primarily in the eastern Atlantic . Allied Command Operations ( ACO ) has operational command of the force , and the Commander Allied Maritime Component Command Northwood administers the force while in the Eastern Atlantic . ACO delegates operational control to the area commander where the force is operating . Organization . SNMG1 is a component of the NATO Response Force ( NRF ) . History . In late November 1966 , U . S . Rear Admiral Richard G . Colbert prepared a concept paper proposing a permanent Allied Command Atlantic naval contingency force based on Operation Matchmaker , an annual six - month exercising involving ships from allied navies . The proposed contingency force was approved by NATO in December 1967 and activated in January 1968 as Standing Naval Force Atlantic ( STANAVFORLANT ) . The force was under the operational control of SACLANT until it was decommissioned in 2003 . Due to the resulting NATO realignment , STANAVFORLANT fell under the operational control of ACO . In September 2007 , SNMG1 was in the Red Sea bound for Suez to complete a circumnavigation of Africa when the Jabal al - Tair volcano erupted . SNMG1 ships assisted the Yemeni coast guard in the recovery of their military personnel stationed on the island . Since 2009 , SNMG1 has been providing ships for NATO ' s Operation Ocean Shield anti - piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden . On 23 – 25 March 2012 the group conducted a passing exercise with Carrier Strike Group Twelve , led by " Enterprise " , while carrying out Operation Active Endeavor missions in the Mediterranean . The group ' s commander , Commodore Ben Bekkering , Royal Netherlands Navy visited " Enterprise " . At the time the group consisted of the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate , the Spanish Navy frigate " Álvaro de Bazán " , the German Navy frigate " Rheinland - Pfalz " , and the Royal Canadian Navy frigate .