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NATO OPERATION MARITIME MONITOR On 10 July 1992 the Foreign Ministers of the North Atlantic Alliance discussed, at Helsinki, the NATO contribution to the monitoring of sanctions mandated by the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 713 and 757. Welcoming the Western European Union's Ministers' decision to establish a naval monitoring force, they agreed on a corresponding NATO force to be drawn from NATO's Standing Naval Force Mediterranean (STANAVFORMED). They, also, required the NATO force to act in close cooperation and coordination with the Western European Union naval force. At the time of this decision the ships of STANAVFORMED were making a routine port call at Lisbon, Portugal. Therefore, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General John Shalikashvili, US Army, who has Operational Command of STANAVFORMED, having been made aware of the Ministerial decision directed the ships to deploy to the Ionian Sea to be prepared for future operations. By the evening of 11 July all the ships had left port en-route to the Ionian Sea. During their transit, STANAVFORMED continued with training. On 15 July the North Atlantic Council and NATO's Defence Planning Committee (DPC) finalised the arrangements for implementing the decisions taken by the Alliance Foreign Ministers at Helsinki on 10 July. The Council agreed that the NATO force based on STANAVFORMED should commence operations at 0800 local time on 16 July. By direction of the DPC, the NATO units were ordered to conduct "surveillance, identification and reporting of maritime traffic in areas to be defined in international waters in the Adriatic Sea." On 16 July -- less than five days from the first warning -- the first units of STANAVFORMED entered the Adriatic and commenced their monitoring role in international waters. This Operation was given the name "MARITIME MONITOR" and it complemented the parallel linked operations being conducted by WEU forces, whose operation was named "SHARP VIGILANCE". The NATO Standing Naval Force Mediterranean started patrolling an area in international waters off the Montenegro coast on 16 July 1992, within operation "Maritime Monitor". Whilst, the WEU forces patrolled the Otranto Straits in international waters within operation "Sharp Vigilance". Prior to and subsequent to the start of the mission, detailed coordination arrangements were worked out between NATO and WEU military officials both for patrol aircraft and for surface ships. These included coordination of areas of responsibility, methods of operation, communications, support and re-supply. During further coordination meetings, patrol areas were again agreed as well as the periodic shifting of these patrol areas between the two -- starting on 29 July -- so as to grant equal sharing of duties and responsibilities and to enhance the interoperability of the two operations. The NATO naval force was supported by maritime patrol aircraft, both those under NATO command and those operating on behalf of the WEU. Needless to say the NATO MPA shared their information with WEU and other international units. US, UK and Portuguese MPA aircraft flew more than 200 sorties within NATO control. From 16 July a Greek "Albatross" MPA aircraft, also, flew in support of NATO forces with patrols south of the Otranto Channel. Additionally, NATO E3-A Airborne Early Warning (NAEW) Aircraft provided all the involved international units with operational connectivity, including an air radar picture which was integrated with the surveillance conducted by the various Maritime Patrol Aircraft, helicopters and ships on patrol. AWACS aircraft flew more than 360 sorties. The E3-D NATO AWACS component supplied by the UK contributed to this effort, as well as sorties flown by French E3-Fs. Since 15 October, this activity was conducted together with the monitoring operations in support of the UN resolution 781, which established a ban on military flights in the air space of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Standing Naval Force Atlantic temporarily relieved STANAVFORMED in her patrol duties in Operation Maritime Monitor, from 9 to 26 September. Operation MARITIME MONITOR ended on 22 November 1992 at 1600 GMT when NATO forces commenced enforcement operations in support of the UN Security Council Resolution 787. This new operation was named "MARITIME GUARD". The Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe, Adm. Mike Boorda, exercised operational control of the NATO forces from his headquarters in Naples, Italy. This control was further delegated to two subordinate commanders also located in the Naples area: Commander Allied Naval Forces Southern Europe (COMNAVSOUTH), Adm. Carlo Alberto Vandini, for STANAVFORMED and maritime patrol aircraft flying under the NATO flag, and Commander Allied Air Forces Southern Europe (COMAIRSOUTH), Lt. Gen. James Callaghan, for the NATO Early Warning Force aircraft (NATO AWACS). MARITIME PATROL AIRCRAFT (MPA) ACTIVITIES MPA aircraft from the USA and Portugal are supporting monitoring operations conducted by NATO under the Operation Maritime Monitor as well as those conducted by WEU, under Operation Sharp Vigilance. US Navy P-3Cs started patrolling in support of STANAVFORMED on 16 July 1992. Since 18 July their activity has been coordinated with patrols conducted by aircraft made available to WEU, with aircraft from each organization covering alternate 24-hour periods. On 21 July four US MPA aircraft were assigned to NATO operational control and were joined on 29 July by a Portuguese P-3P. These aircraft - together with those operating under WEU - are providing continuous assistance to naval units monitoring compliance with UN sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Since 16 July there also has been a Greek Albatross flying in support of NATO forces with a daily patrol south of the Otranto Channel. Statistical data current as of 10 August 1992: MPA NATIONALITY              SORTIES             FLT HRS U.S. P3-C (1)                              57                          530 PORTUGUESE P3-P                  6                            54 TOTAL                                       63                          584 MARITIME MERCHANT TRAFFIC MONITORED IN THE ADRIATIC SEA BY NATO AND WEU FORCES SINCE 16 JULY 1992 (current as of 7 Sept. 92)                                           TYPE OF AIRCRAFT 7 SEP 1992 TOTAL INTERROGATED SHIPS 48 1980 of which not answering interrogation 0 56 POSSIBLE VIOLATIONS (including further possible violations by the same ship)   2 29 Note: 1. Italian/WEU forces started monitoring operations on 11 July 1992. 2. NATO forces started monitoring operations on 16 July 1992.