In response to the growing problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia, the European Union, the political super bloc of Europe consisting of 27 member states, has taken the decision to deploy a naval force to the area from 15 December 2008 to take over from the NATO mission there. It is the first naval task force in the bloc´s history and it will assist in the delivery of food aid to Somalia as well as increasing maritime security in the hazardous Somali waters. The force will consist of at least six ships and two observation aircraft from a number of EU countries.
The EU operation is the first of its kind to be commanded by a Briton
