The Royal Navy recently hosted the first Joint Expeditionary Force (Maritime) conference in Portsmouth headed by Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Ben Key and Commander of UK Maritime Forces Rear Admiral Alex Burton. The UK, with partner nations Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and No
Spanish Navy offshore patrol vessel Vigía set sail from Cadiz to conduct a series of activities in Africa as part of the Spanish government’s Defense Diplomacy Plan and a follow-on of the Africa Partnership Station (APS) initiative. These deployments are intended to enhance maritime security and to
Two Royal Navy Merlins have embarked French amphibious assault ship FS Mistral, the lead ship of French Navy task group, for the French annual Jeanne d’Arc deployment. The five-month amphibious deployment will take the force – which includes the frigate Courbet – as far east as Japan and Guam, as fa
Austrian Jagdkommandos, an Austrian Armed Forces’ Special Operations group, will embark German Navy tender ‘Main’ on March 2 to support EU’s counter-smuggling mission in the Mediterranean Sea. An official send-off ceremony for the Jagdkommandos took place in the Roßauer barracks in Vienna on Februar
German Navy’s K130 corvette Ludwigshafen am Rhein left her homeport of Warnemünde on February 28 to join her Swedish Navy counterpart for Baltic Sea drills. The Royal Swedish Navy is represented by the Visby-class corvette HMS Härnösand. Sweden is not a NATO member but regularly takes part in exerci
Spanish Navy frigate Reina Sofía (F-84) departed naval base Rota on February 27 to integrate into the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1). During the two and a half-month mission, the Spanish frigate will participate in several training activities with other NATO units, among them exercise Join
A Spanish Navy frigate and an auxiliary oiler left their home port in Ferrol, Spain, last weekend to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 in the Mediterranean Sea. Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate Méndez Núñez and oiler AOR Patiño will become part of SNMG2’s Task Unit 02 (TU.02), currently under com
The UK Government, Royal Navy and Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership signed an agreement on February 27 that is expected to bring in more financial opportunities for the locals. Millions of pounds of investment in developing HM Naval Base Clyde as the Royal Navy Submarine Centre of Speci
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has contracted Saab for product support and maintenance of the Swedish Navy’s underwater weapon systems, the company announced on February 28. The contract enables FMV to place orders for product support and maintenance of underwater weapon systems d
Warships from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) made a port call in Trondheim, Norway after concluding exercises in the North Atlantic off the coast of Norway. The force led and participated in two multinational exercises over the past two weeks, with more than 12 ships from several countries
Warships from New Zealand, Spain and Italy will all be joining Royal Australian Navy ships for one of Australia’s largest maritime warfare exercises. More than 17 ships and aircraft are gathering on the Western Australian coast for the inaugural exercise Ocean Explorer. The Spanish Armada’s ESPS Cri
Spanish Navy Rear Admiral Rafael Fernández-Pintado Muñoz-Rojas assumed the role of force commander of the European Union’s counter-piracy operation Atalanta off the Horn of Africa. Rojas assumed command on board his flagship, ESPS Galicia, during a ceremony held in Djibouti on Friday. Djibouti is a
U.S. Navy sailors aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) arrived in Plymouth, United Kingdom, for a regular port visit and for the opportunity to complete the Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) certification FOST is an advanced warfare certification training event
U.S. Navy’s guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66) parted ways with the USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group and arrived in Tallinn, Estonia, for a scheduled port visit on February 22. While in port, Hue City is scheduled to host distinguished military and civilian visitors for an on-board
