Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) is the principal naval service command of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
's (NATO)
Allied Command Operations
Allied Command Operations (ACO) is one of the two strategic commands of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the other being Allied Command Transformation (ACT). The headquarters and commander of ACO is Supreme Headquarters Allied Powe ...
(ACO), replacing Naval Striking and Support Forces Southern Europe (STRIKFORSOUTH). STRIKFORNATO is commanded by Commander
United States Sixth Fleet
The Sixth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy operating as part of United States Naval Forces Europe. The Sixth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. The officially stated mission of the Sixth Fleet in ...
, and it is the only command capable of leading an expanded maritime task force.
History
Naval Striking and Support Forces Southern Europe (STRIKFORSOUTH)
In December 1952, Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (CINCSOUTH) ordered the establishment of a new command titled, Commander, Naval Striking and Support Forces Southern Europe as a principal subordinate commander under CINCSOUTH.
The command was a dual assignment for the vice admiral commanding the U.S. Sixth Fleet. The STRIKFORSOUTH staff was initially composed principally of U.S. Navy personnel because forces earmarked for STRIKFORSOUTH were from the U.S. Other allied personnel from France, Greece, Italy, Turkey, and the United Kingdom came on board to better mesh with other Mediterranean NATO commanders in planning and conducting exercises and training. Its area of responsibility (AOR) was the entire Mediterranean theater, from the Straits of Gibraltar to the Easter Mediterranean and Black Sea.
In 1953 the command set up shore spaces at the NATO AFSOUTH complex in the
Neapolitan
Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to:
Geography and history
* Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city
* Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and Hig ...
neighborhood of
Bagnoli
Bagnoli is a western seaside quarter of Naples, Italy, well beyond the confines of the original city. It is beyond Cape Posillipo and, thus, looking on the coast of the Bay of Pozzuoli.
Industrialization and World War II
Bagnoli was one of ...
which had been one of the Fascist regime's public housing architectural showcases. Its staff occupied the top floor of one of the four main subordinate buildings on the main quadrangle.
Throughout the Cold War, STRIKFORSOUTH was the command most likely to deal with any sudden emergencies in the Southern Region. In charge of NATO Carrier Aviation and amphibious forces, its primary mission in all out war would be to participate in NATO's counter-offensive by launching deep conventional air attacks or close air support missions in conjunction with any amphibious operations. As the Soviet naval build-up in the Mediterranean progressed through the 1960s and 1970s, STRIKFORSOUTH served as a major advisor to Allied Forces Southern Europe (AFSOUTH) and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in the area of Nuclear Strike Planning. The command honed its readiness through these years by planning and conducting semi-annual large-scale NATO amphibious exercises as well as numerous small-scale exercises in various disciplines.
STRIKFORSOUTH coordinated NATO support for the security of the lines of supply through the Mediterranean for Coalition forces during Operations DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM in 1990 and 1991.
The end of the Cold War failed to end STRIKFORSOUTH's mission as the threat from the Soviet Union was replaced by threats from civil and ethnic wars in the Balkans, Middle East and on the African continent. As a result, STRIKFORSOUTH was directly responsible in developing and refining the Multinational Amphibious Task Force (MNATF) concept.
The conflict in the Balkans saw STRIKFORSOUTH contributing planning support and liaison officers to AFSOUTH operations. This led to the establishment of the Kosovo Verification Coordination Centre in the former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia by STRIKFORSOUTH personnel. COMSTRIKFORSOUTH assumed command of NATO Carrier Forces during Operation ALLIED FORCE.
STRIKFORNATO
Exercise Trident Juncture 2018
From 25 October to 7 November 2018, STRIKFORNATO deployed on board
USS ''Mount Whitney''—Afloat Command Platform (ACP) of STRIKFORNATO—and performed in its role as a NATO Expanded Task Force (NETF) providing command and control of multiple strike groups which included
II Marine Expeditionary Force
The II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force consisting of ground, air and logistics forces capable of projecting offensive combat power ashore while sustaining itself in combat without external assistance for a ...
(II MEF),
2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (2nd MEB),
24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU) is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) with a strength of about 2 ...
(24th MEU),
Expeditionary Strike Group
In the United States Navy, the expeditionary strike group (ESG) is a coordinated group of surface ships, aircraft, submarines, and other naval assets. In contrast to carrier strike groups (CSGs), which emphasize air power and are led by a super ...
2 (ESG 2), a Canadian/British Surface Action Group, a Norwegian Surface Action Group and mine countermeasures assets, a Norwegian submarine, and
Carrier Strike Group 8
Commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, abbreviated as CCSG-8 or COMCARSTRKGRU 8, is one of five U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the United States Fleet Forces Command. the group flagship is the ''Nimitz''-class aircraft carrier ...
USS ''Harry S. Truman'' for a limited duration of exercise control. STRIKFORNATO commanded more than 20 ships operating in the North and Norwegian seas and troops ashore in Norway. This exercise "tests NATO's collective response to an armed attack against one ally, invoking
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty
The North Atlantic Treaty, also referred to as the Washington Treaty, is the treaty that forms the legal basis of, and is implemented by, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., on 4 April 1949 ...
"
which states that "an armed attack against one or more of
he Partiesin Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all."
List of commanders
COMSTRIKFORSOUTH 50th Anniversary (1953-2003)
#15 March 1953 – 6 March 1954 VADM
John H. Cassady
#6 March 1954 – 25 March 1955 VADM Thomas S. Combs
#26 March 1955 – 1 April 1956 VADM
Ralph A. Ofstie
Ralph Andrew Ofstie (16 November 1897 – 18 November 1956) was a Vice Admiral in the United States Navy, an escort carrier commander in World War II, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air), and Commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet. He was born in E ...
#2 April 1956 – 3 August 1956 VADM
Harry D. Felt
Admiral Harry Donald Felt (June 21, 1902 – February 25, 1992) was an United States Naval Aviator, aviator in the United States Navy who led U.S. carrier strikes during World War II and later served as commander in chief of United Stat ...
#4 August 1956 – 29 September 1958 VADM Charles R. Brown
#30 September 1958 – 13 September 1959 VADM
Clarence E. Ekstrom
#14 September 1959 – 12 July 1961 VADM
George W. Anderson
#13 July 1961 – 17 March 1963 VADM
David L. McDonald
#18 March 1963 – 1 June 1964 VADM William E. Gentner
#2 June 1964 – 9 May 1966 VADM
William E. Ellis
#10 May 1966 – 4 April 1967 VADM
Frederick L. Ashworth
#5 April 1967 – 13 August 1968 VADM William I. Martin
#14 August 1968 – 27 August 1970 VADM
David C. Richardson
#28 August 1970 – 19 September 1971 VADM
Isaac C. Kidd
#20 September 1971 – 10 June 1973 VADM
Gerald E. Miller
Gerald Edward Miller (July 1, 1919 – November 6, 2014) was a Vice admiral (United States), vice admiral in the United States Navy. He was a commander of the United States Sixth Fleet (from October 1971 – June 1973). He graduated in 1942 from th ...
#11 June 1973 – September 1974 VADM
Daniel J. Murphy
#September 1974 – August 1976 VADM
Frederick C. Turner
#August 1976 – September 1978 VADM
Harry D. Train
#September 1978 – July 1979 VADM
James D. Watkins
James David Watkins (March 7, 1927 – July 26, 2012) was a United States Navy Admiral (United States), admiral and former Chief of Naval Operations who served as the United States Secretary of Energy during the George H. W. Bush administration, ...
#July 1979 – June 1981 VADM
William N. Small
#June 1981 – June 1983 VADM
William H. Rowden
#July 1983 – February 1985 VADM
Edward H. Martin
Edward Holmes Martin (September 30, 1931 – December 23, 2014) was a Vice admiral (United States), vice admiral in the United States Navy. Martin attended the United States Naval Academy, graduating in the class of 1954. He was also an alumnus of ...
#February 1985 – June 1986 VADM
Frank B. Kelso, II
#June 1986 – August 1988 VADM Kendall E. Moranville
#1 August 1988 – November 1990 VADM
James D. Williams
#November 1990 – July 1992 VADM
William A. Owens
#July 1992 – December 1993 VADM
Thomas J. Lopez
#December 1993 – March 1995 VADM
Joseph W. Prueher
#March 1995 – 11 July 1996 VADM
Donald L. Pilling
Donald Lee Pilling (June 4, 1943 – May 26, 2008) was a four-star United States Navy admiral who served as Vice Chief of Naval Operations from 1997 to 2000.
Military career
A 1965 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Pilling's sea ...
#12 July 1996 – July 1998 VADM
Charles S. Abbot
#July 1998 – 28 September 2000 VADM Daniel J. Murphy, Jr.
#29 September 2000 – 22 October 2001 VADM
Gregory G. Johnson
Admiral Gregory Gordon Johnson (born July 11, 1946) is a retired United States Navy admiral and former commander of United States Naval Forces Europe and Allied Forces Southern Europe.
Naval career
Johnson is from Westmanland, Maine. He attende ...
#23 October 2001 – 4 November 2003 VADM
Scott A. Fry
COMSTRIKFORNATO (2004–present)
#5 November 2003 – 9 May 2005 VADM
Henry G. Ulrich III
#10 May 2005 – 6 June 2005 RADM
David J. Cooke MBE
#7 June 2005 – 20 September 2007 VADM
John D. Stufflebeem
#21 September 2007 – 10 August 2008 VADM
James A. Winnefeld Jr.
#11 August 2008 – 19 November 2009 VADM
Bruce W. Clingan
#20 November 2009 – 3 October 2011 VADM
Harry B. Harris, Jr.
#4 October 2011 – 8 October 2013 VADM
Frank C. Pandolfe
#8 October 2013 – 14 December 2014 VADM
Philip S. Davidson
Philip Scot Davidson (born August 24, 1960) is a retired four-star admiral in the United States Navy who last served as the 25th commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command from May 30, 2018 to April 30, 2021. He previously served as the comm ...
#14 December 2014 – 28 October 2016 VADM
James G. Foggo
#28 October 2016 – 1 March 2018 VADM
Christopher W. Grady
#1 March 2018 – 1 July 2020 VADM
Lisa M. Franchetti
#1 July 2020 – September 2022 VADM
Eugene H. Black III
#1 September 2022 – Present VADM
Thomas Ishee
Notes
Further reading
*
External links
Official web site
{{NATO
Naval warfare
Military units and formations of NATO
Military units and formations established in 2004
Military installations in Portugal
Portugal and NATO