On 16th March the Force Commander of EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta, Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjean visited the Spanish Offshore Patrol Vessel, ESPS Relampago for the first time since the ship arrived in the piracy high risk area. ESPS Relampago joined Operation Atalanta, the EU
It’s not every day that passengers on board a civilian cruise liner would get so close to a warship on operations that they could wave to each other, but this is just what happened last week when the German cruise liner, AIDAdiva, with over 2,000 passengers on board, met German frigate FGS Hessen at
Ships and embarked squadrons from the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HST CSG) completed operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations (AOR) March 28. The strike group completed a 120-mile transit of the Suez Canal, marking the end to more than seven straight months of operations in th
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
Ahead of Chinese President Xi’s visit to the European Union in Brussels, a significant naval exercise has taken place in the Gulf of Aden to demonstrate the growing cooperation between the EU and China on issues of international security and defence. EU Naval Force warships, FS Siroco and FGS Hess
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
Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group TWO (SNMCMG2) participated in Exercise NIRIIS 2014 earlier this month near Crete. The exercise focused on training participants in Maritime Interdiction Operations, including asymmetric threat scenarios, helicopter and flight-deck training, mine countermea
London-based missile developer MBDA welcomed the signature of the Demonstration and Manufacture contract for the FASGW(H)/ANL (Future Anti Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy)/ Anti Navire Léger) missile on 27th March 2014. This jointly funded Anglo-French contract, valued at more than £500 million (€600
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 Dutch Navy’s Holland-class offshore patrol vessel takes fuel from a Fast Fleet Tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service RFA Wave Knight in the Caribbean Sea. The Dutch patrol vessel is deployed to the Caribbean Sea since February, to aid to counter-smuggling operations together with US Coas
The Royal Navy is to benefit from a new highly advanced anti-ship missile thanks to a £500m investment (circa USD 831.4 million) from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and French Government. Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy) (FASGW(H)) missiles use sophisticated homing technology to attack
Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group departed White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa March 25 to participate in Exercise Ssang Yong 2014. U.S. Marines and Sailors of the 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) and Amphibious Force Seventh Fleet will participate in Exercise Ssang Yong 2014 in the Rep
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
Rear-admiral Eugenio Díaz del Río, Commander of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG-2) currently participating in operation ‘Ocean Shield’ fighting piracy in the Indian Ocean, welcomed Rear-admiral Kevin M. Sweeney, Commander of the U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group 10. The two flagships, the Sp
