Command of the US 5th Fleet naval forces changed hands in a September 19 ceremony at Naval Support Activity Bahrain. Vice Adm. John C. Aquilino relieved Vice Adm. Kevin M. Donegan as commander of naval forces in the central command area of responsibility. Donegan has served as the NAVCENT/C5F/CMF (C
Royal Australian Navy’s Adelaide-class guided missile frigate HMAS Newcastle concluded her cooperation with US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the Persian Gulf. The frigate joined the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in the Arabian Gulf during her deployment on maritime security operations in the Middle East Re
The US Department of State has approved a possible sale of two 35-meter fast patrol boats to Bahrain and the was notified of the sale on Friday. Bahrain is looking to buy two fast patrol boats equipped with one MK38 Mod 3 25mm gun and one SeaFLIR 380 HD Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) device. Other
During a recent visit to the Port of Duqm, Oman, US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG 91) carried out a mid-deployment voyage repair (MDVR). The eight-day port visit concluded on September 6 and allowed the crew and contractors to conduct vital repairs and mainten
Warships from Gulf Coopertion Council (GCC) countries, crews and command staffs of Combined Task Force (CTF) 152 honed their skills during the multinational exercise Falcon Warrior. Participants carried out a variety of coordinated ship manoeuvers and boarding exercises in the Persian Gulf. Comprisi
On his most recent trip to Oman, UK defense secretary Michael Fallon signed a memorandum of understanding and services agreement that will allow Royal Navy vessels to use facilities at Duqm port before the UK Joint Logistics Support Base at the port is completed. Once completed, the UK Joint Logisti
US Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and more than 7,000 sailors assigned to its carrier strike group are set to conclude their seven-month deployment returning home to Norfolk on August 21. The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), commanded by Capt. Will Pennington, and the guid
Two Royal Navy mine countermeasure vessels arrived in Oman recently to relieve two of their counterparts who spent the last three years forward-deployed to Bahrain. Returning home to the UK are HMS Penzance (bound for Faslane) and HMS Chiddingfold (Portsmouth) after completing their three-year stint
A €5 billion deal between Italy and Qatar for the construction of seven navy vessels is now official following an announcement made by Qatar’s foreign minister on Wednesday. “I am pleased to announce the conclusion of a deal between the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces to buy seven naval units from Italy i
U.S. shipbuilder Swiftships is poised to receive a $150 million contract for support services on coastal patrol vessels it built for the Iraqi Navy under a contract from 2010. The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced on August 1 that the possible foreign military sale to the Republic o
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Fort Victoria is back home after over two years of operations. Fort Victoria arrived in Crombie, Fife, after concluding a 26-month deployment. During her 26-month deployment, Fort Victoria carried out a total of 150 underway replenishment operations, issuing 58,634
F/A-18 jets from the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Nimitz have started flying sorties from the Persian Gulf targeting ISIS positions in Iraq and Syria. This is the first time the carrier and ships from its carrier strike group are supporting operation Inherent Resolve, the coalition fight against ISIS,
A U.S. Army watercraft unit based out of Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, took part in the U.S. Navy’s quarterly trilateral exercise in the Persian Gulf, from July 24-26, 2017. The trilateral exercise incorporated the U.S. Army, Navy, and Coast Guard, along with the Kuwaiti Navy and Coast Guard, and I
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Arunta trained with Tanzanian crime fighters during her final port visit as part of Combined Task Force 150. The Australian team hosted six officers from the maritime detachment of the Tanzanian Transnational Organised Crime Unit June 21-22, conducting maritime cap
