The Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) successfully completed a two-week Certification Exercise (CERTEX) April 21 off the coast of Southern California. CERTEX is the final integrated-training event for the Essex ARG and 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). Capt. Clint Carroll, commander, Amphibious
NATO and the Republic of Djibouti have enhanced their cooperation, by concluding on 22 April 2015 an agreement to establish a NATO liaison office in Djibouti in support of the Alliance’s counter piracy operation, Ocean Shield, in the Gulf of Aden. NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Operatio
IMDEX Asia 2015 has attracted strong international interest from senior naval officials, maritime agencies and industry representatives who will converge at the Changi Exhibition Centre in Singapore from 19 to 21 May 2015. To date, Navy Chiefs from 15 countries such as Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei,
The funding of terrorism has taken a hit thanks to the efforts of Australian Navy personnel who completed a five-month rotation with Combined Task Force 150 in Bahrain on 6 April. Working under Canadian command, seven Navy personnel were involved with tasking Allied naval vessels to intercept drugs
General Dynamics NASSCO is being awarded a $24,1 contract for littoral combat ships (LCS) sustainment execution in support of LCSs homeported in or visiting San Diego, California. This sustainment execution contract is for both LCS variants. The company will be to provide planned maintenance, facili
Maritime forces from West and North Africa, Europe, and the United States kicked off Exercise Saharan Express 2015, April 20, 2015. Saharan Express 2015, sponsored and facilitated by U.S. Africa Command, is designed to improve regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness, information-sharing prac
The Spanish Navy’s amphibious assault ship ‘Galicia’ has set sail from Rota Naval Base towards the Indian Ocean to take part in the counter piracy operation ‘Atalanta’. On this occasion, the ship will operate as command ship of the force and, to this end, the Spanish rear admiral Alfonso Gómez Ferná
The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) and the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage (LPD 23) conduct maneuverers during a strait transit exercise. The drills were conducted in the Pacific Ocean on April 16. Essex is underway participating in a certificatio
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (USNAVSO)/U.S. 4th Fleet delegates met with members of the Brazilian Navy to discuss upcoming interactions and cooperation efforts between their navies during the U.S. Navy and Brazilian Navy Operational Naval Committee (ONC) conference, March 30 – April 1. ONC Bra
Capt. Francis X. Castellano relieved Capt. Robert D. Katz as commanding officer of guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) during a change-of-command ceremony, April 17. Katz commanded Vella Gulf during a six-month deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. While deployed, Vella Gulf
Royal Navy minehunter HMS Quorn sailed from Portsmouth today, April 20, bound for Glasgow, where she will rendezvous with a NATO task group destined for the Baltic Sea. She will join Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Squadron 1 (SNMCMG1), a multinational force of minehunters conducting exercises in
U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) arrived in Zhanjiang April 20 for a port visit building relationships and reinforcing positive navy-to-navy exchanges with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA(N)) South Sea Fleet. As Blue Ridge moored pierside, members of PLA(N) greeted the ship. Th
Hundreds of lives reported to be lost in the latest boat capsizing on the Mediterranean Sea, UNHCR writes. According to information from the Maltese authorities, only around 50 of the 700 reported to be aboard, had been rescued. Should these numbers be confirmed, the incident – which happened overni
The US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) pulls alongside the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE 13) before a replenishment-at-sea. The operation was conducted on April 15, while the vessels were in the Atlantic Ocean. Porter is participa
