Denmark Sends Frigate to the Mediterranean

The Danish Ministry of Defense announced today, Monday, that it has "decided to send a frigate to join the NATO naval force in the Eastern Mediterranean in preparation for potential evacuation operations in case of escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas." Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stated in a statement: "The security situation in the Middle East is currently unpredictable, and therefore the government has decided to move the frigate Niels Juhl to the Eastern Mediterranean." He added: "If the situation in the Middle East develops and requires further evacuation efforts, we will be closer and can act more quickly." The ministry noted that "the frigate will not sail east of Cyprus, which shares maritime borders with Israel, while participating in the NATO naval force." The frigate "Niels Juhl" is typically deployed as part of NATO's "First Permanent Maritime Group" in the North Atlantic.