The importance of expanded cooperation in the Gulf region was the theme of U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s remarks today at the Gulf Cooperation Council defense ministerial conference. Defense ministers from all six member nations, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Ara
The United States and Canadian personnel began a three-day joint maritime exercise Tuesday near Juneau. The crews of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa, a U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and the Canadian Royal Navy vessels HMCS Brandon and HMCS Whitehorse tested search
A change of command ceremony was held for Officer Training Command (OTC) in the Captain Howard N. Kay Hall at Naval Station Newport, May 12. In a traditional naval ceremony, Capt. Kevin McGowan relieved Capt. Vernon Kemper as commanding officer of OTC. The acting commander of Naval Service Trainin
This June, heads of militaries, government officials and industry representatives will be gathering in Cartagena, Colombia for OPV & Surface Combatants Latin America 2014 to discuss the region’s maritime security concerns and solutions. OPV & Surface Combatants Latin America, taking place between
The Contact Group on Piracy off the coast of Somalia (CGPCS) will hold its Sixteenth Plenary Session at the UN Headquarters in New York on 14 May 2014, under the Chairmanship of the European Union. The meeting will focus on three major policy areas: (i) capacity building in the region off the coas
After three months of contributing in the fight against piracy with the EU Naval Force Somalia Operation Atalanta, the Hellenic warship HS Psara heads home to Greece. It was the second time HS Psara has participated in the Counter-Piracy Operation Atalanta as she previously joined the EU Naval For
The Honourable Gail Shea, Australian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Honourable Denis Lebel, Canadian Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs, yesterday announced a contract of up to $172 million awarded to Bell Helicopter for the procurement and delivery of 1
The U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Turkey for MK 48 Mod 6 Advanced Technology All-Up-Round (AUR) Warshot torpedoes and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $170 million. The U.S. Defense
The Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Taylor (FFG 50) participated in a bilateral underway engagement with the Turkish Navy in the Black Sea, May 11. The exercise was aimed at improving maritime capabilities and reassuring NATO allies and partners of the United States’ commitment to the allian
Members of US Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 8 (EODMU 8) are participating in the international naval force exercise Open Spirit 2014, which kicked off its active phase in the Irbe Strait and the waters off the western Latvia coast, May 12. Held annually in one of the Baltic States
More than 1 000 Canadian sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen will participate in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), the world’s premier combined and joint maritime exercise, from June 26 to August 1, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. Canadian participation underlines the strategic importance of the
This week, Standing NATO Maritime Group ONE (SNMG1), presently engaged in NATO’s counter-terrorism Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR, will be gaining three frigates in support of NATO maritime assurance measures. The first of the three, USS TAYLOR, joined SNMG1 yesterday. Over the next few days, SNMG1 fl
During the afternoon of May 6th, the Nimitz-class aircraft-carrier ‘George H. Bush’, the Ticonderoga-class destroyer ‘Philippine Sea’ and the F-100 frigate ‘Cristóbal Colón’ carried out an exercise in the Arabian Sea to enhance joint training in air defense procedures. Before the exercise the chie
More than 40 midshipmen from the Spanish Navy visited Sailors at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., May 12, to learn about the U.S. submarine force. The group drove three hours north from New York City two days after their training ship – a four-masted topsail, steel-hulled schooner