Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus made a brief stop in Moron, Spain, Nov. 14, to meet with Marines assigned to the Special Purpose – Marine Air-Ground Task Force (SP-MAGTF) Crisis Response unit. During his short time in Moron, Mabus ate breakfast with Marines prior to touring the SP-MAGTF facilities.
More than 200 participants including representatives from African nations, the shipping industry, legal experts and NATO discussed the continuing threat of piracy off the eastern African coast at an international conference held in Djibouti this week. The meeting was the 15th Plenary of the Contact
Sea Breeze 2014 planning conference was held in Odesa, Ukraine. The event was attended by Deputy Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine Lieutenant General Volodymyr Khyzhy, Leader of the U.S. Delegation U.S. Navy Capt. 1st Rank John Mosher and Leader of the Ukrainian Working Group of the
Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, directed the activation of the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) Nov. 13 to be ready to support ongoing disaster relief efforts in the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan. Berthed in San Diego, USNS Mercy has been in a reduced ope
Standing NATO Mine-Countermeasures Group TWO (SNMCMG2) just concluded its participation in the Greek Mine Warfare exercise ARIADNE13 in vicinity of Patras, Greece, after one week at sea. SNMCMG2 units FGS MOSEL (the Group’s flagship), FGS ROTTWEIL and TCG ERDEMLI, teamed up with the Greek frigate an
A 10-nation military exercise provides the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) with a unique opportunity to enhance its core skills in planning, coordinating and controlling forces and operations. “The simulated scenarios unfolding in this exercise mirror the kinds of situations that NZDF personnel fac
On Monday, 11 November 2013, the EU Naval Force Operation Atalanta Flagship, HNLMS Johan de Witt, has hosted the Contact Group of Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) during the Counter Piracy Week in the port of Djibouti. Government representatives from all over the world took the opportunity to
The personnel of the Marine Company of Feodosia Detached Marine Battalion returned to Crimea after NATO Response Force Exercise Steadfast Jazz – 2013. During military maneuvers, the marines skillfully completed combat training tasks and were highly praised by the exercise leaders. According to Deput
The operating area for NATO’s counter-terrorism task group, Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2), covers 2.5 million square kilometres of vast open space from Gibraltar to the Suez Canal, from the shores of Tripoli to the Turkish beaches. A NATO maritime force tasked with covering so much water
The first NH90 NFH Step B has been delivered to the Italian Navy. This fully operational naval helicopter will be assigned to the 5th Helicopter Squadron of the Italian Navy at the Sarzana-Luni base. The Italian Navy has ordered 56 NH90s, 46 of which in the NFH variant. “This NH90 Step B will allow
Continuing his goal to keep Florida the most military-friendly state in the nation, Governor Rick Scott today announced that the National Center for Simulation, located at Naval Support Activity Orlando, has been awarded a $350,000 grant from the Florida Defense Support Task Force. The funding will
Hobart welcomed the first Collins Class submarine visit to the region for five years, with the arrival of HMAS Farncomb into port late last week. Commanding Officer, Commander Byron Williamson said the routine port visit allowed the submarine to be resupplied and provided some rest and recreation to
The UK’s Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ship, Fort Victoria, simultaneously refueled the Australian ship, HMAS Melbourne, and the Norwegian ship, HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen, in balmy conditions off the north-eastern coast of Somalia. This risky manoeuvre requires nerves of steel from each ship’s captain and
Maritime forces from the United States, 10 East African and two European nations, along with several international organizations, commenced the multinational maritime exercise Cutlass Express 2013, Nov. 11. Exercise Cutlass Express 2013, held in several operational areas in waters off East Africa, i
