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Home» News»Denmark takes lead of Europe’s Operation AGENOR
Iver Huitfeldt accompanies a ship through the Strait of Hormuz during the deployment of the frigate from August to December 2020. (Danish MoD photo)

Denmark takes lead of Europe’s Operation AGENOR

From January 13 until July, Denmark will be in charge of the European naval operation AGENOR in the Strait of Hormuz. FOC since February 2020, AGENOR ensures the free movement of shipping in waters critical for the world trade.

Nathan Gain 15 Jan 2021

A Danish staff of 12 people took over the command yesterday. Denmark will be in charge of the operation until mid-July. The operation includes, in addition to the Danish staff, staff members, ships and aircraft from eight European countries.

Maritime surface and air assets have been provided by the navies of France, the Netherlands and Denmark. Based in Abu Dhabi, the FHQ is staffed by 20-25 personnel coming from Belgium, Greek, the Netherlands, Denmark and France.

(Danish Mod/Morten Fredslund photo)

“The right to free navigation is a crucial value. When it is put under pressure, we, as a great maritime nation, must fight for it. The Danish management of Operation AGENOR helps to support Danish maritime industries and at the same time emphasizes the trust that exists in the Danish defense,” said the country’s Minister of Defense Trine Bramsen.

AGENOR was launched in late 2019, when several commercial ships were attacked around the Strait of Hormuz. Other incidents created insecurity for sea shipping and exacerbated the already tense situation in the region. The purpose of AGENOR is then to reduce the emergence of such incidents. In addition to the Strait of Hormuz, the operation perimeter includes the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

“Denmark is the world’s fifth largest shipping nation. Therefore, it is also a core task for the Navy to help ensure the free movement of shipping, and we have both the skills and experience to lead international naval forces”

Admiral Carsten Fjord-Larsen, the first Danish commander of the operation

Ships and aircraft in AGENOR work for safety and free movement of shipping by showing presence and by creating a picture of the normal situation in the area. It makes it possible to sharpen the attention, and possibly. intervene if the situation changes. The ships in the naval force can also accompany merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz in order to contribute to increased security.

“The situation is calm and it seems that the various actors, including Iran and the other coastal states, are acting professionally. But it is a complex area where perhaps small incidents can explode, and therefore the approach from AGENOR is that we must be de-escalating and not contribute to the situation developing. Our overview and presence has a deterrent effect on any actors who may wish to place obstacles in the way of free movement of shipping.

RDN staff taking lead of AGENOR operation (Danish Mod/Morten Fredslund photo)

“We come up with a Danish footprint on a wide range of the activities that are needed to run the operation and to put the mission into practice. But we are of course supported by the other European nations in AGENOR and EMASOH (the political framework around AGENOR, ed.),” added Admiral Carsten Fjord-Larsen.

From August to December 2020, Denmark contributed to AGENOR with the frigate Iver Huitfeldt, its crew, a Seahawk helicopter and soldiers from the Military Police and Naval Special Forces. Denmark has also contributed staff officers to the operation since its establishment in January 2020.

Admiral Carsten Fjord Larsen and his staff will lead AGENOR until April. Then, another Danish team will take over the management task until July.

AGENOR operation Denmark EMASOH Royal Danish Navy Strait of Hormuz 2021-01-15
Tags AGENOR operation Denmark EMASOH Royal Danish Navy Strait of Hormuz
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Authors

Posted by : Nathan Gain
Nathan is based in Namur, Belgium. He holds an MA in modern history with a minor in international relations from the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL – Belgium). Fascinated by military history he naturally turned to the defense sector after graduating and is particularly interested in Northern European and Belgian defense issues as well as in anything related to naval aviation.

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