Home  /  Media Centre  /  News  /  2019  /  Commander Surface Forces NATO Changes Leadership

Commander Surface Forces NATO Changes Leadership

NORTHWOOD, United Kingdom (June 24, 2019) – Command of the newly activated Commander Surface Forces NATO (COMSURFNATO) was today formally passed from Rear Admiral Jens Nemeyer of the German Navy to Commodore Jeanette Morang Royal Netherlands Navy in a ceremony held at Allied Maritime Command Headquarters in North London.

On the April 4th 2019, NATO’s 70th Anniversary, COMSURFNATO was activated as part of NATO’s Command Structure Adaptation (NCS-A) and assumed responsibility of surface forces delegated by Commander MARCOM, including the four Standing Naval Forces and surface units under NATO operational control for Operation Sea Guardian.

"During my time at MARCOM, we have re-oriented our activities to focus on operations,” said Rear Admiral Jens Nemeyer, who also continued his role as Deputy Chief of Staff Operations (DCOS OPS). "The Alliance is stronger today, in part, due to the continuous drive at MARCOM to achieve greater agility and flexibility in our maritime operations. I would like to thank the whole of my team for their outstanding work and dedication to mission achievement. I am very proud to have been a part of this team.”

Upon assuming command, Commodore Morang said, "It is an honour to be selected to lead the NATO surface forces, we are an organization in the midst of change and I look forward to solidifying our leadership role in NATO operations."

The adaptation of the NATO Command Structure (NCS-Adaptation) closes the agility gap between evolving threats and the ability of NATO to respond. COMSURFNATO is part of MARCOM’s augmentation and reorganization under NCS-Adaptation which has empowered the command to lead robust maritime operations theatre-wide delivering 360 degrees of maritime focused awareness and connectivity across the entirety of SACEUR’s area of responsibility.