EUNAVFOR ATALANTA NEWSLETTER October 2025

Dear reader,

October was a month full of activities, meetings and gatherings, in which ATALANTA proved again as a reliable contributor to providing maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean, with established credibility in the international community. This intense agenda was developed both at the strategic level, with conferences as relevant as Shared Awareness and DEconfliction (SHADE), and at the operational level, with the multiple activities included in the DORALEH II exercise.

The highlight was the DORALEH II exercise, once again co-chaired with the Djibouti Regional Training Centre (DRTC) where we implemented more advanced seminars and more complex exercises than before, what allowed us to evolve in this second iteration. Our cooperation with this training centre continues to advance and establish itself as an exceptional means of improving the capabilities of regional forces in maritime security. I would like to emphasise the participation of Japan in the exercise at sea, with the JS HARUSAME frigate, the Japanese P3-C aircraft, and Japan Self-Defence Forces in Djibouti. The exercise was successfully executed, demonstrating coordination between regional and international maritime forces, and the shared commitment to maritime security.

The 53rd SHADE demonstrated the relevance and success of these conferences, undoubtedly a point of reference, both for the naval forces deployed in the Area of Operations, and for the shipping industry. The conclusions on how to improve our cooperation between these forces for the benefit of supporting the commercial shipping sector will move us forward in the desired direction of our goal of keeping the routes in the Indian Ocean secure and free for navigation.

Furthermore, the change of command that took place this month allows me to underline the endeavour of nations contributing to ATALANTA. The new Force Commander, Portuguese Navy Commodore João Silva, assumed command of the 51^st rotation. This is a demanding command that requires his full attention and effort, as well as that of his staff and all the forces deployed. We wish him the best of luck. I also congratulate Rear Admiral Francisco Javier Vázquez Sanz for his extraordinary work in command of the 50^th rotation.

Finally, on the last day of October, we commemorated the 25^th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, reaffirming our strong commitment to advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda through concrete operational actions. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the fundamental participation of women in this operation, becoming an essential element to the ATALANTA team, providing perspectives that allow us to see things from different angles.

Vice Admiral Ignacio Villanueva Serrano

EUNAVFOR ATALANTA Operation Commander

On 1 and 2 October, Operation ATALANTA Operation Commander, Vice Admiral Ignacio Villanueva Serrano, and Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Paolo Fantoni travelled to Rome, Italy, to meet with senior Italian Defence Forces commanders.

 The first meeting of the ATALANTA flag officers took place with the Commander of the Italian Joint Command, Lieutenant General Iannucci, to discuss the results obtained by the Operation in the region and their impact on progressing towards the desired objectives.

Afterwards, they met with the Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, Vice Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto, with whom, in addition to discussing ATALANTA's activities, successes and challenges, they expressed their gratitude for the crucial participation of the Italian Navy, both in terms of personnel and assets.

Moreover, the Operation Commander and the Deputy Commander paid a visit to the Commander in Chief of the Italian Fleet, Vice Admiral Aurelio de Carolis, who stressed the multiple accomplishments made by ATALANTA and the relevance to the Italian Navy being an active part of this CSDP Operation.

On 14 October, Deputy Chief of Staff of the French Navy, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Slaars visited the Operation ATALANTA Headquarters in Rota.

During the visit, Vice Admiral Slaars received an update on the current state of play of the Operation, and the future challenges to be faced. France is one of the EU contributing nations to the Operation ATALANTA, in addition to providing the facilities of the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO) in Brest (France).

On 22 and 23 October, the 53^rd iteration of the SHADE Conference, co-chaired by Operation ATALANTA and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), convened in Manama (Bahrain).

More than 150 stakeholders from the military, shipping industry and academia attended the conference to strengthen and discuss maritime security in the western Indian Ocean, adjacent seas and the region.

Initially established to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean, SHADE has expanded to include a wider range of subjects related to maritime threats, and serves as a crucial platform for dialogue between naval forces and the shipping industry. The conference also aims to improve information sharing, operational coordination and emergency response by providing the better possible advice to the shipping community.

On 12 October, Portuguese Commodore João Silva assumed command of the 51^st rotation as Force Commander of the European Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Operation ATALANTA. He takes command of Task Force 465 from Spanish Rear Admiral Francisco Javier Vázquez Sanz who was in command since 12 June 2025.

The ceremony was presided by EUNAVFOR ATALANTA’s Operation Commander, Vice Admiral Ignacio Villanueva Serrano, and took place on board the Spanish ship NAVARRA in the port of Djibouti. The event was attended by international and Djiboutian representatives of civilian and military authorities, including ambassadors of European Union Member States, the EU Ambassador to Djibouti, and commanders of various forces in the area.

On 22 October, 95^th VIGMA D-4 rotation completed the last flight alongside the incoming crewmembers, successfully completing 100% of the scheduled sorties, conducting a total of 13 missions and nearly 90 hours of flight time.

From 26 to 30 October 2025, the DORALEH capacity enhancement exercise took place in Djibouti for the second time. The main goal was to improve regional cooperation, maritime security and improvement of capacities among nations, international forces and institutions related to maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean.

As part of the DORALEH II exercise, multiple seminars and training sessions were carried out to improve the knowledge and capacities in maritime security of the trainees.

The practical part of the exercise consisted of a counter piracy exercise with the participation of the ATALANTA flagship ESPS VICTORIA, JS HARUSAME, the Japanese P3C aircraft, one patrol boat of the Djibouti Navy, the Special Operations team of ATALANTA and the Japan Self-Defense Forces in Djibouti.

All forces combined their efforts in the exercise that saw a possible real case scenario with different training eventsto enhance interoperability. These activities at sea ensure better coordination between regional and international forces to provide maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean.

On 27 October, during a port visit in Djibouti, ATALANTA Force Commander Commodore João Silva and ASPIDES Force Commander Commodore Andrea Quondamatteo held an encounter aboard of ASPIDES flagship ITS MARCEGLIA.

This engagement reinforced the close coordination between the two EU maritime operations, as established by the Council of the EU, in particular sharing information of interest and facilitating logistic support from ATALANTA to ASPIDES.

On 3 October, the XXVII Spanish General Staff Course of the Spanish Armed Forces paid a visit to Operation ATALANTA’s Headquarters.

Operation ATALANTA Chief of Staff, Captain Fernando Garcia, welcomed the attendees and briefed them about the main axis of the Operation, activities developed and challenges faced in the complex Area of Operations.

The visit took place in the framework of the programme’s course to learn how the operation is commanded from the strategic level by the Operation Commander supported by the OHQ Major Staff.

On 24 October, ATALANTA Chief of Staff, Captain Fernando García Rodríguez, participated in the colloquium organised by the Propeller Club of Algeciras (Spain), presenting a detailed presentation on maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean and the current challenges in this complex geostrategic region.

On 28 October, ATALANTA Deputy Commander, Rear Admiral Paolo Fantoni, participated in the Maritime Security Regimes Roundtable 2025 organized by the Combined Joint Operations from the Sea - NATO Centre of Excellence, in Norfolk (Virginia, US).

His briefing focused on the Maritime Security situation in the Western Indian Ocean, in particular ATALANTA's activities and achievements, main challenges and way forward.

On 31 October, Operation ATALANTA celebrated the 25th anniversary of the UNSCR 1325, reaffirming the commitment to advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda. ATALANTA’s experience shows that gender equality and local empowerment are not optional: they are fundamental to sustainable peace and maritime stability.

On this landmark anniversary, we renew our commitment to listening to and protecting women’s voices, promoting equality within our ranks, and applying the principles of the WPS agenda in every one of our actions to make our naval operations more robust, inclusive and resilient.