| Allied Maritime Command | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1 December 2012–present |
| Allegiance |  NATO |
| Branch | Sea warfare |
| Type | Tactical level command |
| Role | Command and control of maritime forces |
| Part of |  Allied Command Operations |
| Headquarters | Northwood Headquarters,Hertfordshire, UK |
| Website | mc |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Vice admiral Mike Utley Royal Navy |
| Deputy Commander | Vice Admiral Didier Maleterre  French Navy |
| Chief of Staff | Rear Admiral Jose Enrique Delgado  Spanish Navy |
TheAllied Maritime Command (abbr.MARCOM) is thecentral command of allNATO maritime forces and the Commander MARCOM is the prime maritime advisor to the Alliance. When directed by theSupreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), it provides the core of the headquarters responsible for the conduct of maritime operations. The command is based at theNorthwood Headquarters inEastbury, Hertfordshire.
The Commander-in-Chief,Home Fleet (Royal Navy), gained a NATO responsibility as Commander-in-Chief Eastern Atlantic Area (CINCEASTLANT), as part ofSACLANT, when the NATO military command structure was established in 1953. CINCEASTLANT headquarters was established at theNorthwood Headquarters in northwest London.[1]
Commander-in-Chief Eastern Atlantic was redesignated as Commander, Allied Maritime Component Command Northwood ('CC-Mar' or AMCCN) around 2004.[2] The command, which was renamed Allied Maritime Command Northwood in 2010, reports toAllied Joint Force Command Brunssum.[3]
At the2010 NATO Summit in Lisbon it was decided to create a leaner and more effective command structure.[4] This reduced the number of major headquarters from 11 to 7 and, in particular, led to the deactivation of theAllied Maritime Command Naples on 27 March 2013 leaving the newly named MARCOM as the sole maritime component in NATO.[5]
MARCOM ledOperation Active Endeavour, NATO's only Article-5 operation which ended in 2016. MARCOM also ledOperation Ocean Shield, NATO's counter-piracy operation in theGulf of Aden andIndian Ocean which also ended in 2016.[6]
Currently, MARCOM leadsOperation Sea Guardian designed as a Maritime Security Operation to provide security in theMediterranean Sea.[7][8]
MARCOM was created through theNorth Atlantic Council to ensure the interoperability of NATO maritime forces, and placed directly under the Supreme Allied Commander Europe to be the leading voice on maritime issues within the Alliance. It is responsible for planning and conducting all NATO maritime operations.[9]
MARCOM leads four standing NATO maritime groups, two frigate groups and two mine countermeasures groups. The Standing NATO Maritime Groups are a multinational, integrated maritime force made up of vessels from allied countries. The ships and any aircraft aboard are available to NATO to support Alliance tasking. These groups provide NATO with a continuous maritime capability. The command is also responsible for additional naval assets as they support NATO missions.[10]
Current groups are:
Commanders have been:
| Structure | | |
|---|---|---|
| NATO maritime forces |
| |
