Three ships from the US, Germany and Spain have spent the last four days in Portsmouth Naval Base as part of a multi-national NATO squadron visit.

Led by the American cruiser USS Normandy, the German frigate Sachsen and Spanish replenishment ship Patino arrived in Portsmouth on Friday June 22, bringing 750 Allied sailors to the city for a five-day stay.

The USS Normandy is a 10,000-ton Ticonderoga-class cruiser under the command of Capt Robert S Kemo. She was commissioned in 1989 and is fitted with the Aegis weapon system, sophisticated radar and anti-submarine sensors, and an extensive communications suite.

 The current commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 is Rear Admiral Michael K Mahon, who is embarked in the USS Normandy.  The task group can respond to a crisis worldwide and deter any threats to NATO nations or their maritime interests.

The group, known as SNMG1, is one of four standing maritime elements whose keynote is flexibility.  It can be used as the core for a larger force, or detached to a NATO Response Force.

The concept of a NATO Response Force, set up after the Cold War, is to provide a rapid and tailored response to incidents as they arise, from evacuations to counter-terrorism and embargo operations.

When the group leaves Portsmouth on 26 June, the German and Spanish ships will detach. In July the group will be re-formed with ships from Canada, Denmark the Netherlands, Portugal and the USA.

They will be on call for contingency operations as part of NATO Response Force 9 and will circumnavigate Africa, conducting operations along the way.