The commanders of NATO’s operation Sea Guardian and EU-led operation Sophia met at sea on February 24 to discuss closer tactical level coordination and information sharing in the central Mediterranean Sea. The task group commander for NATO’s maritime security operation Sea Guardian (OSG) visited the
The Italian Navy’s FREMM frigate ITS Carlo Margottini, in service since February 2014, recently achieved another first en route to her Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea deployment. Having sailed from her homeport in La Spezia on February 20, ITS Carlo Margottini transited the Suez Canal for the the first
US sailors and marines have concluded two months of cooperation with their French counterparts aboard the French Navy amphibious assault ship BPC Tonnerre. Approximately 150 US personnel spent the last two months working together with the French task group composed of BPC Tonnerre and Horizon-class
Royal Australian Navy base HMAS Cairns will soon be able to welcome larger naval ships, including amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers, as it is set to benefit from a planned upgrade to the Port of Cairns. The AUD$120 million upgrade to the Port of Cairns is closer thanks to the finalisati
Royal Australian Navy’s amphibious ship HMAS Canberra tested its anti-ship missile defense off the south coast of New South Wales as part of exercise Ocean Explorer. Upgrades to the Nulka anti-ship missile decoy system have been tested with the use of civilian aircraft including an underslung Nulka
Two French Navy ships, joined by UK marines and sailors and their Wildcat helicopters, got underway from Toulon naval base on February 26 to start a five-month deployment to Asia-Pacific. The Jeanne D’Arc mission is an annual deployment undertaken by French Navy ships over a five-month period. Last
A three-nation carrier strike group assembled around aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) welcomed the US Navy secretary for a visit during final deployment preparations. Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV), Richard V. Spencer, landed aboard the USS Harry S. Truman Feb. 25, during the group’s co
Two US senators on February 26 introduced a bill aimed at helping the US Navy restore its surface force readiness. The Surface Warfare Enhancement Act of 2018, introduced by Roger Wicker (R-MS), Chairman of the Senate Seapower Subcommittee, and John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Servic
French autonomous systems developer ECA Group recently unveiled and demonstrated its new mid-sized mine counter measure autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), the A18-M. A live demonstration of the company’s new AUV family member took place off Toulon, Southern France, on February 16. According to the
The US Navy’s next littoral combat ship, the Independence-variant LCS 30, will be named USS Canberra, US president Donald Trump announced in a White House news conference with Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull on Friday, February 23. The LCS will be the only US Navy vessel named for a city
The lead ship of the US Navy’s Virginia-class fast attack submarines returned to her New London homeport in Connecticut following a six-month deployment to Europe. USS Virginia (SSN 774) was welcomed to the base on February 22 . During the deployment, Virginia steamed approximately 27,500 nautical m
The Australian defense department has awarded Saab a contract to continue sustainment works for the Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigates under the Warship Asset Management Agreement (WAMA). WAMA is a strategic partnership which includes Saab Australia, BAE Systems Australia Defence and Naval S
Ships deployed to NATO’s Mine Counter Measures Group Two (SNMCMG2) arrived in Bar, Montenegro, for a port call on February 23. Led by Royal Navy Commander Justin Hains, the group arrived in Montenegro after sailing from Marmaris, Turkey last week. The task group consists of the flagship HMS Enterpri
The structures necessary to complete US Navy’s second Ford-class aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) are 70 percent complete, shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries has announced. Like its predecessor, the first-in-class USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Kennedy is being built with a modular con
