The conference was an opportunity for key personnel to meet in person to discuss the state of NATO maritime in the era of Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area, strengthening cooperation and cohesion of effort.
The theme of this year's conference was ‘Deterrence and Defence: Ukraine lessons learned and their application to future maritime operations.’ Personnel engaged in conversations about what individual navies have learned and how they have adapted to the constantly changing maritime security environment, and the importance of strengthening the international maritime force to increase the effectiveness of MARCOM’s crisis response system.
Our unity is our success. This unity delivers Allied personnel, ships, aircraft, and submarines so critical to the defence of the Alliance. This conference highlights our determination to adapt to the multi-domain battlespace as it evolves, and ensure our tactics, techniques, and procedures remain aligned
Discussions also included the use of amphibious forces to support maritime operations; automation, networks, and multi-domain operations; and ongoing programs such as Operation Sea Guardian.
Commander MARCOM, Royal Navy Vice Admiral Mike Utley, opened the conference. Afterwards, his staff led case study presentations from recent operations and facilitated discussions on information sharing and collaboration to strengthen NATO's maritime response.
"MARCOM’s mission is clear: to deter adversaries, assure Allied publics, and be prepared to defend the Alliance,” Utley said. “Our unity is our success. This unity delivers Allied personnel, ships, aircraft, and submarines so critical to the defence of the Alliance. This conference highlights our determination to adapt to the multi-domain battlespace as it evolves, and ensure our tactics, techniques, and procedures remain aligned.”
NATO's four standing maritime groups are committed to the maritime component of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), which is part of the NATO Response Force (NRF).
MARCOM is the central command of all NATO maritime forces and the MARCOM commander is the primary maritime advisor to the Alliance. Like its land and air counterparts (LANDCOM and AIRCOM), MARCOM is constantly in close coordination with the Joint Force Commands (JFC) and answers directly to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE).