On March 31, Major General (MAJGEN) Tim Gall became the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand. At a Change of Command parade held at Trentham MAJGEN Gall was promoted to his new rank and took command of Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand (HQ JFNZ). MAJGEN Gall was raised in Invercargill and Nelson
A ceremony was held yesterday at Australian company, Marand, commemorating the delivery of the first ship of Australian made F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter vertical tails. The Honourable Dr. Denis Napthine, Premier of Victoria, and The Honourable Michael Ronaldson, Senator for Victoria rep
Republic of Korea (ROK) minister of national defense visited the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) March 31. Kwan-jin Kim’s visit took place during exercise Ssang Yong 2014, an annual combined exercise conducted by Navy and Marine forces with the Republic of Kor
The Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Toowoomba departed Fleet Base West near Perth on 29 March, to join the international search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The Anzac-class frigate has been diverted from other operational tasks to join the search. It will carry a S-70B2 Seahawk helicopter whi
Today’s search and recovery operation in the Australian Search and Rescue Region for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is scheduled to commence about 9 am AEDT this morning. The search activities will involve a total of 10 ships and 10 aircraft, Australian Maritime Safety Authority 8AMSA) said in a rel
Korea Opts for Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Aircraft The Republic of Korea has formally selected the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft for its F-X fighter acquisition program. USS Elrod Takes Over Escort Duties of Libyan Seized Tanker The U.S. Navy’s USS Elrod relieved the USS Stout of
The seminar component of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) 2014 wrapped up today after a couple of days of intensive discussion and exchange of ideas by delegates of member nations and observers. The IONS seminar, which was held in Perth after the RAN assumed chairmanship of IONS from the So
The search area for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been updated after a new credible lead was provided to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). As a result today’s search will shift to an area 1,100 kilometres to the north east based on updated advice provided by the interna
In an effort to pinpoint the exact location Malaysian Air MH370 landed in the Indian Ocean, U.S. 7th Fleet is sending a second P-8 Poseidon Patrol aircraft to Perth, Australia to aid in the search efforts. The P-8 will fly from Okinawa, Japan to Perth on March 28 to join an international coalition
The 2014 Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) got underway in Perth on March 26 as ‘the weight’ was officially handed from outgoing chair the South African Navy (SAN) to the Royal Australian Navy. IONS, which was established in 2008, is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime coopera
The Australian Minister for Defence, Senator David Johnston, and the Assistant Minister for Defence, Mr Stuart Robert today announced a multimillion dollar investment to develop future defence technology in Australia. Up to $13 million has been committed under Round 18 of the Capability and Techno
The first major joint amphibious exercise for the year, Exercise Sea Dawn, is underway in North Queensland, Australia. It is scheduled to continue until 17 April. Over the next few weeks, approximately 450 Australian Navy, Army and Air Force personnel will rehearse amphibious operations in the Hal
Today’s search for any signs of the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft in the Australian Search and Rescue Region is now underway. A total of six countries are now assisting in the search and recovery operation – Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Japan, China and the Republic of Korea. A to
The US Navy is sending a sonar equipped underwater vehicle to search for the debris of the ill-fated Flight 370 Malaysian Airlines 777 plane, navy officials said Monday. The decision comes as a result of Malaysian government’s request from the Pentagon to provide underwater surveillance technologi
