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8th Chiefs of Navy Staff Meeting - Lisbon

On the 22nd of April 2015, the 8th Chiefs of Navy Staff meeting of the 5+5 Defence Initiative took place in Lisbon.

Admiral Luís Fragoso, Chairman for this meeting and Chief of Navy Staff of the Portuguese Navy, stressed the great importance of the meeting and welcomed all the 5+5 countries delegations, which attended this meeting: Algeria (GENM Mohamed Lakmeche, COL Kamel Benmahdi and COL Mourad Karboua), France (ADM Bernard Rogel, LCDR Jean-Gustave Bonnet and LT David Guerin), Italy (VADM Claudio Gaudiosi and CDR Giuseppe Valentini), Libya (COL Mohamed Ibrahim), Malta (COL Claudio Spiteri), Mauritania (CAPT Mohamed Mahmoud El Hadramy, CDR Mohamed Lehbib and LT Mohamed Yahya), Morocco (COM Mohammed Taoudi and CAPT Ahmida Benmessaoud), Portugal (ALM Luís Fragoso, RADM Henrique Melo, CPT Valentim Rodrigues, CDR Paulo Simões and LCDR Pedro Jorge), Tunisia (RADM Abderraouf Atallah and CAPT Chokri Amor) and Spain (ADM Jaime Muñoz-Delgado, CAPT Eugenio Díaz del Río and LCDR Tomás Dolarea.

The conference opened with two presentations concerning the conference subject “Situational Awareness and Security at Sea”. The first presented by a Portuguese Navy representative, CDR Paulo Simões and the second by Mr. Leendert Bal, representing the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).

Both presentations introduced maritime security in a region as complex as the Mediterranean, which requires well coordinated resources between actors (including navies, coastguards, search and rescue, border control and customs institutions) and Nations with similar challenges and objectives. In conclusion, it was stated that it is through a holistic approach that Mediterranean countries, while interconnected, will face together the security at sea.

The Maltese representative, COR Claudio Spiteri, also made a presentation reaffirming the importance of the optimization of resources to face the tremendous challenges that the Mediterranean Sea poses to the whole 5+5 community.

In a general way, all present delegations agreed with the relevance of the discussed main subject, stating the importance of fostering cooperation between the 5+5 community in order to improve security and safety in the Western Mediterranean Sea and its accesses.

Participants also made some recommendations regarding the need to increase cooperation between Countries even further and regarding the extension of the Livex Phase of the Seaborder exercise.

The next meeting of the 5+5 Defence Initiative, Chiefs of Navy Staff will be, predictably, hosted by Spain in 2017.