The captain and first officer of an ocean going tug boat have been found guilty of drug trafficking following the biggest ever UK seizure of class A drugs. The cocaine, with an estimated potential street value of £512 million once adulterated, was found hidden on board the Tanzanian flagged MV Hamal
Lynx Defender returned home to Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton following a nine-month deployment to the Middle East. During their 263 days away from the UK, 239 Lynx Flight from 815 Naval Air Squadron home base Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton, Somerset has been deployed in HMS Defe
Amphibious dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) pulled into Augusta Bay, Sicily for a scheduled port visit July 11. The stop offers Whidbey Island the opportunity to resupply, and is the first foreign port visit for the ship’s Sailors and embarked Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary
United States president Barack Obama on July 10 paid a visit to Spain and U.S. Naval Station Rota on his return home from the NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland. Obama spoke to more than 2,000 American and Spanish service members and their families during his visit. The president visited USS Ross (DDG 71
The British Ministry of Defence has confirmed that it signed a deal to purchase nine P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Boeing’s P-8A MPA are being purchased from the US Government via a Foreign Military Sale. According to the MoD, the cost of developing and
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Cardigan Bay has returned from her Arabian Gulf deployment which kept the ship away from home for four years and two months. The ship supported mine warfare operations in the Middle East – not just by the Royal Navy’s four minehunters in the region, but by US counterpa
The U.S. Navy’s newest base, Naval Station Everett (NSE) welcomed the newest addition to the base, the guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101), on July 9. Gridley is the first of four destroyers to be reassigned over the course of the coming year as part of an ongoing homeport realignment. Th
There was a period in Royal Australian Navy history when the service operated two aircraft carriers simultaneously, Sgt Dave Morley explains as he outlines the history of HMAS Vengeance. The Navy’s intended second light fleet aircraft carrier, HMAS Melbourne II, suffered delays in England in the ear
Britain has announced that it would send an offshore patrol vessel to the Aegean Sea where NATO vessels are already engaged in gathering intelligence and patrol the waters between Greece and Turkey with the aim of preventing migration and smuggling. During the NATO summit in Warsaw Defence Secretary
Polish frigate ORP General Tadeusz Kosciuszko joined Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) on July 7. The former U.S. Navy Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, one of two in the Polish Navy, will spend the next few months under NATO flag providing support to NATO maritime activities. ORP General Tade
US Marines worked with Mexican Navy ship ARM Usumacinta (A-142) to conduct amphibious assault vehicle operations at Naval Base San Diego during the multinational exercise Rim of the Pacific, July 6. Six U.S. Marine AAVs, attached to Bravo Company, 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion, took part in the e
The UK Ministry of Defence has invited potential suppliers of the Military Afloat Reach & Sustainability (MARS) Fleet Solid Support (FSS) capability to attend the FSS industry day later this month. The 2015 UK Strategic Defence & Security Review (SDSR) confirmed the need for MARS Fleet Solid Support
The U.S. State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale of SM-2 Block IIIB Standard missiles, containers and support to the Republic of Korea. Estimated cost of the equipment South Korea might acquire is $65 million with Raytheon as the principal contractor. The Defense Security Coop
Three Royal Australian Navy ships, three helicopters and more than 1,000 personnel are in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016. Flagship of the Australian fleet, HMAS Canberra, led the Australian task group into harbor followed closely by Anzac class frigates HMA Ships