The ships of Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2), with two Sea Lynx helicopters embarked, exercised with the British Task Group Cougar this week after a busy in-port programme in Barcelona. Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 met in the waters with British Task Group Cougar north of Corsica on Monda
Exercise DUGONG 15, a mine countermeasures exercise which involved seven Navies, has drawn to a close in Hobart. The event brought mine warfare and dive teams from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and United States together for two weeks to practice contemporary mine warfare and dive salvage te
Commander of NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), Vice Admiral Clive Johnstone, welcomed SHAPE Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Intelligence (DCOS OPI), Major General Joseph Guastella, to the headquarters for an in-depth briefing on NATO maritime operations Oct 14. During the visit, Majo
Indian Navy’s Chief of Naval Staff Admiral RK Dhowan announced the Navy’s plans to conduct an International Fleet Review (IFR) on the Eastern Seaboard at Visakhapatnam from February 4 – 8, 2016. Speaking at a specially convened press conference on October 14, Admiral Dhowan disclosed that 46 nations
Turkish led Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 has been working in association with NATO Task Force CTF 465 and the European Union Naval Force’s Task Force CTF 508 in the Gulf of Aden, Somali Basin and Arabian Sea conducting Approach and Assist Visits (AAV) to local dhows, a small cargo or fishing vessel
Naval ships, aircraft and personnel from India, Japan and the United States are participating in exercise Malabar 2015, in Chennai, India, Oct. 14-19, 2015. Malabar 2015 is a complex, high-end warfighting exercise that has grown in scope and complexity over the years and is the latest in a continuin
General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, began construction on the second ship of the U.S. Navy’s newly reclassified Expeditionary Base Mobile (ESB) program yesterday, October 14. The 784-foot ship will be configured with a 52,000 square-foot flight deck, fuel and equi
The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Hampton (SSN 767) returned to its homeport in San Diego on October 11 following an extended deployment. Hampton, under the command of Cmdr. Lincoln Reifsteck, returned from the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility where the crew executed the Chief of
Spanish Navy’s frigate ESPS Victoria and Colombian ARC 7 de Agosto recently rendezvoused off Somalia for training. The vessels met at sea on October 9 and conducted a series of exercises including testing their helicopters and performing various maneuvers as well as replenishment at sea. The Sailors
In an operation conducted yesterday, October 13, the German Navy’s frigate Schleswig-Holstein rescued 207 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. The action started when the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (I.M.R.C.C.) requested EUNAVFOR MED Task Force operating in the Central Mediterranean t
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) entered Larnaca, Cyprus, October 13 for a scheduled port visit. Donald Cook is on patrol in support of the U.S European Phased Adaptive Approach to NATO Ballistic Missile Defense. Donald Cook’s Presence represents a commitment
NATO’s Allied Maritime Command MARCOM was transferred over to Vice Admiral Clive Johnstone CB CBE in a brief ceremony at Northwood Headquarters outside London. Vice Admiral Peter Hudson CB CBE has held command of MARCOM since February 14, 2013, leading the newly consolidated command forward as the A
The Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 will visit Algiers, Algeria, from October 12 to 14, 2015, as part of their annual program of activities, to strengthen the friendship and understanding between Algeria and NATO. In this context, the Chief of Staff of the Allied Maritime Command, Rear Ad
The EU anti-migrant smuggling operation in the Mediterranean sea, known as Operation Sophia, has entered its operational phase, aimed at boarding and seizing vessels suspected of being used for human smuggling and trafficking. The operational phase follows the first phase, launched June 22, which in