The German Bundestag has approved a further year of Bundeswehr participation in NATO’s Sea Guardian maritime security operation in the Mediterranean. In a roll-call vote on 13 November, 371 MPs backed the government motion, 186 voted against it and two abstained.
The mandate allows the deployment to continue until 30 November 2027 at the latest. The ceiling for German personnel has been lowered from 550 to 440. This is the maximum authorised strength, not the number of troops confirmed to be deployed.
Sea Guardian supports maritime surveillance and information-sharing, counter-terrorism at sea and efforts to curb weapons smuggling. The operational area covers the Mediterranean outside national territorial waters, the Strait of Gibraltar and its approaches, as well as the airspace above them.
The government estimates the additional costs of the mandate at about €900,000. Any operation in a coastal state’s territorial waters requires that country’s consent and the relevant NATO and parliamentary approvals.
