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Australia, US kick off anti submarine warfare exercise Sea Dragon in Guam
The US Navy and Australian Air Force kicked off the annual anti-submarine warfare exercise Sea Dragon on January 14. The multilateral exercise is based out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, with this year’s event running until Jan. 25. Participating US units will include Patrol Squadron (VP) 47, VP-
US destroyer Gravely becomes NATO group flagship
US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) assumed the role of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) flagship in a change of command ceremony in Denmark on January 14. US Navy Rear Adm. Edward Cashman assumed command of SNMG1 from Royal Danish Navy Commodore Anders F
US Navy appoints first SEAL as a Fleet Master Chief
The US Navy has selected a Navy SEAL to serve as Fleet Master Chief for the first time in the service’s history, US Naval Forces Europe-Africa commander Adm. James G. Foggo III has announced. Force Master Chief Derrick Walters will succeed Fleet Master Chief Raymond Kemp as Fleet Master Chief for US
Australian frigate lands CMF’s first drug seizure of 2019
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Ballarat seized over 3.1 tons of hashish in the Arabian Sea during an operation that took place on January 8 and 9. The seized drugs are worth an estimated $155 million and are the first narcotics seized by a Combined Maritime Forces member in 2019. The fishing ves
US destroyer Donald Cook resumes European patrol
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) departed Naval Station Rota, Spain resuming it’s eighth forward-deployed naval forces (FDNF) patrol in the US 6th Fleet area of operations, January 12. Donald Cook was in Naval Station Rota for a training and maintenance
Russia developing improved, longer-range Kalibr cruise missile
Russian Navy ships and submarines are poised to be equipped with a new and improved Kalibr cruise missile that is currently under development, according to a Tass report. The upgraded missile will have a range of over 4,500 km, twice that of the current 3M-54 Kalibr cruise missile (NATO codename SS-
EU Commission to look into Fincantieri’s takeover of Chantiers de l’Atlantique
The European Commission announced it would examine Fincantieri’s proposed acquisition of Chantiers de l’Atlantique (formerly known as STX France) following a request submitted by France and Germany. The transaction could harm competition at European and global level, the commission said adding that
NASSCO receives $91m for USS George H.W. Bush dry-docking overhaul
General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., (NASSCO)-Norfolk, has been awarded a $91.4 million for the fiscal 2019 dry-docking planned incremental availability of aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush. The undefinitized contract action is a modification to a previously awarded contract, as
Indian Navy escorts its first WFP vessel in Somalian waters
An Indian Navy frigate reached a milestone recently as it became the first Indian warship to escort a vessel of UN’s World Food Program. INS Sunayna completed the escort for the first time since counter-piracy deployments began in 2008, following an escort request by EU NAVFOR. A WFP dhow was transp
BAE Systems signs Royal Navy aircraft carrier mission systems support contract
UK defense contractor BAE Systems announced it would be providing essential mission system support to the Royal Navy’s two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers as part of an updated integration services agreement. Through an addition to the Naval Combat Systems Integration Support Services (NCSIS
Dutch air-defense frigate HNLMS Evertsen becomes SNMG2 flagship
The Royal Netherlands Navy’s air defense and command frigate HNLMS Evertsen got underway from her homeport in Den Helder on January 5 to become the flagship of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG 2). Evertsen will spend the next six months in the Mediterranean and Black Seas patrolling the region
USS Fort McHenry is the first US Navy ship to enter Black Sea since Kerch Strait incident
Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) entered the Black Sea on Sunday, becoming the first US Navy ship to do so since the Kerch Strait incident from November 2018 when Russia fired on, and seized, three Ukrainian Navy ships near the the Kerch Strait. USS Fort McHenry, with
Kratos secures Royal Saudi Navy training contract
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced it has been awarded a follow on task order (TO) to provide training-related products and services in a variety of disciplines to the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF), the Naval Force of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Awarded by the Naval Air Warfare Center
Pentagon notifies Congress of two-carrier buy, contract expected by end of January
The US Department of Defense has officially notified the Congress of its intention to buy two aircraft carriers at once in a move that is expected to bring some $4 billion in savings. In a letter on December 31, the Pentagon formally informed the Congress about the block buy of two Ford-class aircra