CMDR MacDonald joined the RAN as a sailor in 1962 and received his Commission at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth UK in 1975. CMDR MacDonald served in ten different classes of warships and instructed in two warfare training establishments. An Anti-air Warfare Specialist (AWS), he developed
Samoan citizens, service members from U.S. and partner nations, and non-governmental organization volunteers kicked off Pacific Partnership 2013 with an opening ceremony, June 1. Pacific Partnership is the largest disaster response-preparation mission in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. It will spend e
The final fabricated blocks for the first destroyer, Hobart, have just been delivered to the Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance in Adelaide following a week-long journey by sea from Newcastle. AWD Alliance CEO Rod Equid said the four blocks arrived in Adelaide from block sub-contractor, Forgacs Engineer
The Government of Canada has selected a ship design for the Royal Canadian Navy’s future Joint Support Ships. This represents a major milestone within the Joint Support Ship project, and it is indicative of the Government’s commitment to moving the project forward, and to making an investment in Can
Last week EU NAVFOR Force Commander, Commodore Jorge Novo Palma and a delegation from the EU counter piracy flagship, NRP Alvares Cabral, ‘cross-decked’ to French warship FS Nivôse at sea to receive an operational update from the ship’s commanding officer, Captain Samuel Majou. Both EU Naval Force w
Representatives from Japan, the United States, New Zealand, Britain, the Netherlands and Australia attended a commemorative service at Garden Island, Sydney today to mark the 71st anniversary of the sinking of HMAS Kuttabul. Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Senator David Feeney joined attendees t
The U.S. Navy has adopted a new global weather forecasting model with the support of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), officials, May 30. The Naval Global Environmental Model (NAVGEM) became fully operational this spring, and today serves as a cutting-edge pr
HMAS Toowoomba (II) is making her way home to Australia after handing over maritime security and interception operations for Operation SLIPPER in the Middle East Area of Operations to HMAS Newcastle. The ship’s company of 191 completed a six-month deployment conducting counter piracy, counter narcot
The U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will travel to Hawaii, Singapore and Brussels beginning this week, senior defense officials announced on May 28. Hagel will speak at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, officials told Pentagon reporters during a background briefing. The annual conference draw
Australian Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Dr Mike Kelly today announced that three Tenderers have been selected to progress Project Air 9000 Phase 7 which will provide a new helicopter aircrew training system to meet the future rotary wing training needs of the
The 5th ADMM-Plus EWG on Maritime Security Meeting was held on May 29 at the Eastin Hotel, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Co-chairing the meeting were Ms Suriani Ahmad, Undersecretary, Policy and Strategic Planning Division, Ministry of Defence Malaysia, and Commodore Stuart Mayer, Director General Navy Ca
Whilst alongside Port Victoria in the Seychelles, naval staff from EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Flagship NRP Álvares Cabral and the Seychellois Coast Guard came together on board the Portuguese ship to exchange maritime knowledge and experiences. The Seychellois Coast Guard team visited both the navig
Sri Lanka Navy intercepted 52 persons illegally bound for Australia in a multi-day trawler in the early hours of 29th May 2013. The trawler named “Rosa Kusum” was intercepted by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Western Naval Command 18 nautical miles west of Chilaw. Among the arrested perso
On Sat., May 25, 2013, the R/V Atlantis left Woods Hole carrying the newly upgraded submersible Alvin, marking a major milestone in the sub’s $41 million redesign. Both ship and sub are owned by the U.S. Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) for the benefit of the enti
