On 24 February 2013, whilst on counter piracy patrols in the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) the Force Commander of EU NAVFOR, Rear Admiral Pedro García de Paredes, met with the Commander of the NATO counter-piracy Operation Ocean Shield, Rear Admiral Antonio Natale. The meeting be
Exercise Proud Manta 2013 (POMA 13), NATO’s largest anti-submarine warfare exercise, began in the Ionian Sea, Feb. 23. Participants in POMA 13 include four submarines, 16 aircraft and eight surface ships from 10 NATO nations, including the United States. POMA is an annual at-sea exercise focused on
Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyer USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98) returned home to Norfolk Naval Base Feb. 26 after completing an eight-month deployment to the 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility in support of theater security cooperation. The ship and her crew traveled more than 45,000 nautical miles d
The U.S. Pacific Fleet announced yesterday that the Navy’s first littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) will depart her homeport of San Diego on March 1 and deploy to the Asia-Pacific region. Making good on a pledge made initially by former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at the 2011 Shangri-La
Unless Congress takes action, over the next few weeks the U.S. economy will be hit with harmful automatic cuts that threaten hundreds of thousands of middle class jobs. President Obama yesterday visited, 26 February, shipyard in Newport News, VA to talk about what these cuts — which are known as the
The keel of the offshore patrol vessel being built for the Finnish Border Guard was laid, on Monday 25 February 2013, at STX Finland Oy’s Rauma Shipyard. The event was witnessed by representatives of STX Finland, Finnish Border Guard, classification society and media. Scheduled for delivery in Novem
Naval aviators are evaluating energy-saving refueling practices as part of a program aimed at standardizing fleet-driven energy best practices that do not adversely impact mission or safety. The Naval Aviation Energy Conservation (Air ENCON) Program is driving the fleetwide implementation of these p
Former President Jimmy Carter, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and former Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton visited the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Feb. 22 along with more than 200 members of Mr. Carter’s foundation, The Carter Center. Upon arriving, the Carters, Dalton and others
Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus visited with Sailors and Navy civilians at Naval Air Facility Misawa, Feb. 21. While in Misawa, SECNAV conducted an all hands call with Navy Misawa personnel and took time to tour NAF Misawa and its tenant and deployed commands. During the call, Mabus discuss
At the end of February the Luxembourg Maritime patrol and Reconnaissance (MPRA) Detachment returned to the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta counter piracy mission, having taken over MPRA duties from the Swedish Coast Guard MPRA unit operating from the Seychelles. During their pr
It was a juggernaut; a Confederate 275-foot blackened structure of iron that would forever change the face of warfare. The ship was a black-iron beast reborn from the frigate Merrimack, a burnt husk raised and armor-clad, transformed into a ship with no purpose but war. Its formidable complement boa
On Monday 25 February Dutch EU Naval Force frigate HNLMS De Ruyter transferred nine suspected pirates to the Seychelles authorities for prosecution. The transfers happened after HNLMS De Ruyter, who was conducting counter piracy patrols, stopped two skiffs on 19 February 120 nautical miles off the S
The University of Notre Dame Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) hosted their 17th annual Naval Leadership Weekend to promote the development of midshipmen into strong ethical leaders, 21-24 Feb. The keynote speaker, Coast Guard Vice Adm. John P. Currier, Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard
The U.S. Navy announced Feb. 26 (Japan Standard Time) that USS Warrior (MCM 10) will deploy to U.S. 7th Fleet Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) in Sasebo, Japan, to replace USS Guardian (MCM 5). Guardian, which ran aground on Tubbataha Reef in the Philippines on Jan. 17, is beyond economical repa
