Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) ships HDMS Absalon (at left) and FS Normandie (at right) conduct a Replenishment-At-Sea (RAS) with RFA Tidespring (at centre) off the coast of Portugal on May 27, 2021 during Exercise Steadfast Defender 21 (STDE21). A RAS is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way so that the receiving ship does not have to leave its designated area of operations to obtain fuel and other provisions ashore. It helps sustain SNMG1 high-intensity training and operations while providing greater overall operational flexib


Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) ships HDMS Absalon (at left) and FS Normandie (at right) conduct a Replenishment-At-Sea (RAS) with RFA Tidespring (at centre) off the coast of Portugal on May 27, 2021 during Exercise Steadfast Defender 21 (STDE21). A RAS is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way so that the receiving ship does not have to leave its designated area of operations to obtain fuel and other provisions ashore. It helps sustain SNMG1 high-intensity training and operations while providing greater overall operational flexibility and endurance to the Task Group. STDE21 is a defensive exercise based on an Article 5 scenario which is designed to deter aggression and respond to crisis if necessary. STDE21’s Maritime Live Exercise is taking place from 20-30 May, 2021 in the waters off Lisbon, Portugal.


Size: 1936px × 1291px
Photo credit: © Operation 2021 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 2021, defender, exercise, steadfast, steadfastdefender2021