As announced last year by the U.S. Naval Forces Europe commander, Admiral Michelle Howard, the U.S. 6th Fleet will be staging a ballistic missile defense exercise in Scottish waters between September and October. Named Formidable Shield 17, the exercise is taking place at the U.K. Ministry of Defens
The Australian government is starting construction of a new surface shipbuilding yard in Osborne, South Australia, and has unveiled the design of the shipyard. The construction of the shipyard will be a $535 million project and is the latest in a series of significant infrastructure announcements su
German Navy tender FGS Rhein is returning home after a five-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea and the EU-led migrant crisis operation Sophia. The tender is set to return to her homeport in Kiel on August 28 after spending five months in the Mediterranean where she helped save lives and fight
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1, led by Royal Norwegian Navy frigate HNoMS Otto Sverdrup, trained with ships from the Danish Task Group (DATG) in waters of Kattegat on Tuesday. The SNMG1 is on a routine maritime situational awareness patrol for NATO in the North sea and the Baltic Sea. I
The Canadian government is granting Nova Scotia boat builder Rosborough Boats funds to design a stronger and lighter line of Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) that will be used by Canada’s Navy. Rosborough Boats is being granted more than CAD$500,000 in the form of a repayable contribution. The
NATO ships deployed to operation Sea Guardian spent the larger part of August working with ships from the European Union-led operation Sophia with the aim of improving collaboration in the Mediterranean Sea. The ships worked in the central Mediterranean Sea August 3 through 20 in part to further ref
The Spanish navy’s auxiliary oiler and replenishment ship ESPS Cantabria (A-15), got underway from Ferrol, Spain, to join operation Sophia – European Union’s migrant mission in the Mediterranean Sea. Operation Sophia started on June 22, 2015 to provide a response to the migratory crisis in the centr
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Ballarat has returned to her home port of Fleet Base West in Rockingham, Western Australia, after completing a three month deployment to South East Asia which included participation in exercise Talisman Saber off the Australian coast. The deployment, which began in
The Latvian Navy is hosting this year’s edition of the international annual mine clearance and ordnance disposal drill Open Spirit which is taking place between August 18 and 31. The exercise aims to reduce the threat of unexploded ordnance throughout the Baltic Sea region, including seabed communic
Spanish Navy offshore patrol vessel (OPV) ‘Infanta Cristina’ got underway from Cartagena, Spain, on Wednesday to start a four-month deployment to Western Africa. Infanta Cristina will spend the next four months in and around the Gulf of Guinea working with regional countries as part of the Spanish D
Ships from NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) completed four days of historical ordnance disposal (HOD) operations along with Estonian minehunter ENS Admiral Cowan in Estonian territorial waters on August 17. The ships searched Estonian coastal areas that had not been previousl
The Finnish Navy chief will be hosting the commander of Allied Maritime Command and ships from NATO Standing Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) in Helsinki next week. On August 24, Finnish Navy Vice Admiral Veijo Taipalus will welcome MARCOM commander Vice Admiral Clive Johnstone for an official visit to Finl
The Canadian government on Thursday awarded a CAD$5.2 billion deal for the maintenance of two new ship classes over the next eight years to the Canadian subsidiary of French defense contractor Thales. The joint venture of Thales Canada and Thales Australia will be providing in‑service support, inclu
The US Navy is set to commission the Expeditionary Sea Base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) in a ceremony on Thursday at Khalifa bin Salman Port in Al Hidd, Bahrain. The ship still bears the designation of a Military Sealift Command ship but will become a full blown warship after it is commissioned at a
