The crew will include 50 sailors and soldiers.
Croatia will send a navy ship with up to 50 members of the military to take part in NATO’s “Sea Guardian” security operation in the Mediterranean Sea. The government officially sent the decision to Parliament on Wednesday, reports tportal.hr on June 27, 2018.
According to the official explanation, the operation in question is a non-combat mission during which Croatian soldiers will conduct inspections of civilian ships suspected of being linked to possible threats such as terrorism, illegal maritime activities, or endangering sailing freedom and safety.
The estimated duration of the mission which will take place before the end of the year is around 30 days. It will represent Croatia’s visible contribution to the allied security efforts at sea. According to unofficial information, the mission will include the Vukovar rocket launcher ship of the Croatian Navy.
The “Sea Guardian” operation was launched at the NATO summit in Warsaw in 2016 as a continuation of the previous operation Active Endeavour, with the aim of contributing to the development of regional maritime security, supporting the fight against terrorism, and ensuring the freedom of navigation.
The operation includes tasks linked to maritime interceptions, providing a contribution to the fight against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, protecting the key infrastructure facilities, and helping to develop the capabilities of the navies of partner countries in the Mediterranean Sea.
The decision stresses that the success of the Sea Guardian operation will have a direct impact on potential security threats and the maintenance of a safe and stable situation in the immediate vicinity of the Adriatic Sea, which will significantly and directly affect the Croatian economy and the social development in its entirety.
Translated from tportal.hr (reported by Vanja Moskaljov).
