Visit of Director General of the European Union Military Staff (EUMS), Lieutenant General VAN DER LAAN to IRINI Operational Headquarters
On the 16th of January, at the Operational Headquarters (OHQ) in Rome, Rear Admiral Valentino RINALDI, EUNAVFOR MED IRINI Operation Commander (OPCDR), welcomed Lieutenant General Michiel VAN DER LAAN, Director General of the European Union Military Staff (EUMS).
Lieutenant General VAN DER LAAN is responsible for the work of the EUMS in providing strategic advice to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice President of the European Commission, reporting to the European Union Military Committee (EUMC) – representing member states’ Chiefs of Defense – and overseeing “early warning”, situation assessments and strategic planning.
During the meeting, RAdm RINALDI and Lt Gen VAN DER LAAN talked about current state of play of Operation IRINI, ongoing activities and future developments. This includes the strategic review, accomplishments, and next objectives. As part of the visit, Lt Gen VAN DER LAAN had the opportunity to see the Joint Operation Centre (JOC), the heart of IRINI’s OHQ, which operates on a 24/7 basis and is responsible for real-time Maritime Situational Awareness across the area of operation (AOO).
The discussion between the two high military representatives, RAdm RINALDI and Lt Gen VAN DER LAAN, focused on possible ways to address common challenges and on strengthening an integrated approach to face the evolution of the geopolitical landscape.
RAdm RINALDI highlighted the tasks of Operation IRINI: implementation of the UN arms embargo in Libya, prevention of illicit oil trafficking, disruption of human trafficking and to provide opportunities of capacity building and training of the Libyan Institutions responsible for law enforcement and Search and Rescue (SAR) at sea.
