Gulf of Guinea nations held a planning conference July 23-25 to set in motion objectives and initial concepts for what will be the fourth iteration of Obangame Express, a multinational maritime exercise which is set to take place in spring 2014. Obangame Express, one of four major U.S. Naval Forces
In coordination with the Australian Defence Force, U.S. Seventh Fleet will take the lead in the safe retrieval and disposal of four bombs which were jettisoned off the coast of Queensland, Australia by two AV-8B Harrier aircraft in an emergency situation on 16 July. “The U.S. military is aware of it
The Navy’s first joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) successfully completed final contract trials, the Navy announced July 25. Final contract trials, or FCT, are a component of a ship’s post-delivery test period and mark the final in-depth examination of a newly constructed ship to ensur
The commander of Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC), kicked off the opening ceremony of the 13th annual Asia-Pacific Submarine Conference (APSC) July 22 at the Mercure Hotel in Yokosuka, Japan. The U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) co-hosted the event July 21-24
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced yesterday that it has delivered the final aft peripheral vertical launch system (PVLS) assemblies to the U.S. Navy for the Zumwalt-class destroyer Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001). The two units for the PVLS were delivered a week
Distinguished visitors from Australia visited the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), July 23. The representatives visited the ship to receive a general orientation of an underway aircraft carrier and to better understand George Washington’s strategic missio
The Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) teamed up with forces from the George Washington Carrier Strike Group and Australian Defence Force (ADF) to conduct an air defense exercise (ADEX) in support of exercise Talisman Saber 2013, July 22. Talisman Saber is a biennial training exercise
The US Navy expressed willingness to assist Australia in taking out bombs, which were mistakenly dropped into the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park a week ago, Reuters informed today. During the exercise Talisman Saber, performed near south Australian coast, the US aircraft were p
Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Springfield (SSN 761) returned to its homeport in Groton, Conn., July 22, after completing a scheduled six-month deployment. Under the command of Cmdr. Chris Williams, Springfield transited more than 34,000 miles and conducted maritime operations in Europe and
The Royal New Zealand Navy diving support vessel HMNZS Manawanui (A09) concluded its mission with Pacific Partnership 2013, July 21. During its involvement, Manawanui and embarked personnel cleared more than 2,100 rounds of unexploded ordnance in the Solomon Islands and the Republic of Kiribati that
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, seated in Bath, Maine, has gained a $7.5Million modification of a previously awarded contract to deliver engineering and management services for advance planning and design in support of the post-shakedown availability for the USS Independence (LCS 2). USS Independe
Navy Combat Logistics Force ships USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10), USNS Wally Schirra (T-AKE 8) and USNS Yukon (T-AO 202) are steaming off the coast of northeastern Australia this week, providing vital logistics support to U.S. and Australian ships participating in Talisman Saber 2013. Thousands of U.S
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert discussed the status of the fleet, readiness impact due to sequestration, and modifications to Navy policies at a press conference July 19 at the Pentagon. “Presence remains our mandate,” Greenert said. “This is what we are mostly about, and it’
Exercise Sea Breeze 2013, the 16th iteration of the largest annual multinational maritime exercise in the Black Sea, ended July 20, as representatives from the 14 participating partner nations gathered together for the exercise closing ceremony. Naval, air, and land forces from participating countri
