The ESPS Isaac Peral, the Spanish Navy’s first diesel-electric (SSK) submarine equipped with the S-80 Plus system, has been deployed for its first NATO operation, according to Naval News.
“The Isaac Peral submarine is operating in the Mediterranean Sea as part of Sea Guardian, NATO’s ongoing mission to enhance maritime security in the region,” stated NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), responsible for Sea Guardian (OSG) detachments, on its social media on October 21.
MARCOM confirmed that the Isaac Peral is operating under what is known as “associated support,” already deployed in regional operations but contributing to OSG’s multisectoral security activities (MSA) through surveillance and intelligence gathering.
OSG has been defined by MARCOM as “a maritime security operation not covered by Article V [of the NATO Charter] aimed at working with stakeholders in the Mediterranean to maintain maritime situational awareness (MSA), deter and counter terrorism, and strengthen capacity development.”
The operation is conducted annually in the high seas of the Mediterranean through multiple Focused Operations (FOCOPs) and also covers freedom of navigation defense, maritime interdiction, counter-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and protection of critical infrastructure.
“It is about understanding the maritime, air, surface, and underwater environment: this high-capacity submarine provides a robust resource to maintain the high level of minimum operational readiness that the alliance seeks to achieve,” said Commander Arlo Abrahamson, MARCOM’s chief spokesperson, to Naval News.
The Isaac Peral was ordered in November 2023 and, according to a Spanish Navy spokesperson, is already fully operational. Its early deployment provides an immediate demonstration to the alliance of the operational benefits of adding a new class of submarine to the allied submarine force structure.
Additionally, the submarines also provide an immediate demonstration to potential alliance adversaries. For example, NATO will now have new vessels operating from Cartagena, near the Strait of Gibraltar, a maritime choke point marking the western entrance to the Mediterranean.
Since Russia can no longer send non-Novorossiysk-based submarines across the Bosporus/Dardanelles Strait or access Syria, Russian submarines in the Mediterranean will now have to transit the Strait of Gibraltar, under the watchful eyes of the new Spanish submarines.
Photo: NATO MARCOM. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
