VISIT OF CROATIAN ARMED FORCES WAR COLLEGE AT IRINI OPERATIONAL HEADQUARTERS (OHQ)
On April 7th, EUNAVFOR MED IRINI Operation Commander (OPCDR) Rear Admiral Valentino RINALDI and his staff welcomed a delegation from the War College of the Croatian Armed Forces at the IRINI Operational Headquarters (OHQ) in Rome.
The War College provides education for senior officers of the Croatian Armed Forces and prepares them for command and more responsible duties. The College regularly participates in exchanges of trainees and instructors with EU Member States and NATO.
During the visit, OPCDR provided a comprehensive overview of the results achieved by the Operation in implementing, in an impartial and effective manner, the UN Security Council arms embargo on Libya as well as in the fight against oil smuggling and human trafficking, and in developing Capacity Building and Training (CB&T) initiatives to support Libyan maritime authorities. In addition, recently with the two-year extension of the EU mandate, until March 2027, the Operation was given the new task of improving Maritime Situational Awareness (MSA) in the operational area to protect EU interests, with a particular focus on critical underwater infrastructure.
The visit from the War College of the Croatian Armed Forces was a concrete opportunity to illustrate all the activities of Operation IRINI personnel and an exceptional moment for a rich exchange of opinions and points of view, underlining the importance of strengthening the common commitment of EU Member States to the maintenance of security in the Mediterranean and conveying the strong European identity inspiriting the Operation and its crucial role in the surveillance of the Mediterranean Sea in order to ensure the respect of international law and the protection of EU interests.
