NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasure Group 1 is set to make a port call in Finland after concluding participation in the Latvian-hosted mine clearance and ordnance disposal drill Open Spirit. The international drill is taking place between August 18 and 31. SNMCMG1 ships are set to arrive in Turku, F
Republic of Korea Navy destroyer ROKS Sea Jo Young has joined the European Union-led counter-piracy operation Atalanta off the coast of Somalia. ROKS Dae Jo Young is a Sun-sin class destroyer and was launched in November 2003. Equipped with the latest military and surveillance technology, she is per
As announced last year by the U.S. Naval Forces Europe commander, Admiral Michelle Howard, the U.S. 6th Fleet will be staging a ballistic missile defense exercise in Scottish waters between September and October. Named Formidable Shield 17, the exercise is taking place at the U.K. Ministry of Defens
German Navy tender FGS Rhein is returning home after a five-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea and the EU-led migrant crisis operation Sophia. The tender is set to return to her homeport in Kiel on August 28 after spending five months in the Mediterranean where she helped save lives and fight
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1, led by Royal Norwegian Navy frigate HNoMS Otto Sverdrup, trained with ships from the Danish Task Group (DATG) in waters of Kattegat on Tuesday. The SNMG1 is on a routine maritime situational awareness patrol for NATO in the North sea and the Baltic Sea. I
NATO ships deployed to operation Sea Guardian spent the larger part of August working with ships from the European Union-led operation Sophia with the aim of improving collaboration in the Mediterranean Sea. The ships worked in the central Mediterranean Sea August 3 through 20 in part to further ref
The Spanish navy’s auxiliary oiler and replenishment ship ESPS Cantabria (A-15), got underway from Ferrol, Spain, to join operation Sophia – European Union’s migrant mission in the Mediterranean Sea. Operation Sophia started on June 22, 2015 to provide a response to the migratory crisis in the centr
The Latvian Navy is hosting this year’s edition of the international annual mine clearance and ordnance disposal drill Open Spirit which is taking place between August 18 and 31. The exercise aims to reduce the threat of unexploded ordnance throughout the Baltic Sea region, including seabed communic
Spanish Navy offshore patrol vessel (OPV) ‘Infanta Cristina’ got underway from Cartagena, Spain, on Wednesday to start a four-month deployment to Western Africa. Infanta Cristina will spend the next four months in and around the Gulf of Guinea working with regional countries as part of the Spanish D
Ships from NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) completed four days of historical ordnance disposal (HOD) operations along with Estonian minehunter ENS Admiral Cowan in Estonian territorial waters on August 17. The ships searched Estonian coastal areas that had not been previousl
The Finnish Navy chief will be hosting the commander of Allied Maritime Command and ships from NATO Standing Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) in Helsinki next week. On August 24, Finnish Navy Vice Admiral Veijo Taipalus will welcome MARCOM commander Vice Admiral Clive Johnstone for an official visit to Finl
The German Navy’s F122, Bremen-class frigate FGS ‘Lübeck’ is joining NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 in the Aegean Sea. Setting sail on August 21, Lübeck will be replacing another German ship, F123 frigate FGS Brandenburg, which spent six months as the flagship of the international task group. Comm
A short take-off vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B Lightning II aircraft took off from the ski jump loaded with Paveway IV and ASRAAM missiles for the first time, BAE Systems announced. Installed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, the ski jump is similar to that which will be used on the Royal Navy’s
Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Cristóbal Colón (F-105) returned home to Naval Base Ferrol, Spain, on August 10 after spending three month in Australia where the ship’s crew helped prepare Australian sailors to operate the Aegis combat system. Just the like the future HMAS Hobart, the first of three new a
