En route to the Middle East and operation Manitou, Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Newcastle made a port visit to Cochin, India, building on relationships recently made on exercises in Australian waters. As a continuation of exercise Ausindex, the visit allowed for the strengthening of internatio
The staff and crew embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) (GHWB) had the distinct pleasure of hosting its first foreign head of state for a ship visit, July 3. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with his wife Sara and son Yair, came aboard the carrier to vis
A U.S. Marines helicopter fired flares at an Iranian patrol boat in the Strait of Hormuz after it shined a laser at the helicopter. The incident, which was deemed an unsafe encounter by U.S. officials, took place on Tuesday. In addition to the Marine CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopter, Iran
Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 of the Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces achieved a record number of drug interceptions in a four-month span, with 10 drug seizures totaling over 3,300 kilograms of heroin, cocaine, cannabis resin and hashish since March. It started with the Royal Australian Navy f
U.S. Navy’s George H.W. Bush carrier strike group (GHWBCSG) on Tuesday continued strike missions against ISIS positions after crossing the Suez Canal on Monday. USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) and the cruisers and destroyers accompanying it are currently on the return leg of their deployment after com
United Kingdom, France and the United States are stepping up their submarine cooperation with an agreement signed by the three countries’ naval leaders on June 1. The agreement outlines anti-submarine warfare activities of the three countries as they operate in waters of Western Asia. Commander, U.S
In the second attack on commercial vessels in just two days, pirates attempted to hijack oil tanker MT NAVIG8 Providence in the Arabian Sea on June 1. The incident, confirmed by EU NAVFOR, took place in the Gulf of Oman as the MT NAVIG8 Providence was sailing 100 nautical miles east of Muscat. Accor
Three men in a skiff approached a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the southern Bab-el-Mandeb strait and opened fire on it on May 31, EU NAVFOR has confirmed. The vessel’s master reported that the attackers fired three rocket-propelled grenades, before breaking off the attack. The onboard arme
The government of Canada has extended the country’s contribution to international maritime security operations in the Middle East and East Africa under operation Artemis. Announced by defence minister Harjit S. Sajjan and parliamentary secretary Jean Rioux, operation Artemis authorizes the Canadian
More than 20 nations took part in the International Maritime Exercise (IMX) 2017 which was held from May 2 to 18, on Naval Support Activity Bahrain. In addition to personnel led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, the command post exercise also included representatives from the civilian shipping i
Saudi Arabia and Lockheed Martin have reached a $6 billion deal for the acquisition of four littoral combat ships, according to a Bloomberg report. The report said that the signed letter of agreement included a better-armed version of the Freedom-variant LCS Lockheed Martin’s industry team is buildi
Ships from the U.S. Navy’s Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group are returning home from a seven-month deployment to the Pacific, Middle East, and the Horn of Africa. The group is scheduled to return to Naval Base San Diego on May 15. Comprised of the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8),
Pakistan is acquiring four Turkish Project MILGEM corvettes while Turkey is buying 52 Pakistani Super Mushshak training planes under agreements signed during the 2017 IDEF defence exhibition in Istanbul, on May 10. Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Limited (KSEW) from Pakistan, signed a letter of
The U.S. Navy’s guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) is set to depart Naval Base San Diego on Monday for an independent deployment to Western Pacific and Middle East. Joined by an embarked detachment from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 49, Lake Erie will conduct maritime security
