UK Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has delivered a speech at the annual meeting of the Chiefs of European Navies in Portsmouth. During his speech to the Chiefs of European Navies on 23 May, Hammond was clear on the role the addressed audience must play in explaining the importance of Europe’s par
More Ukrainian Ships Pull Out from Crimea The evacuation operation of the Ukrainian Navy ships from the Crimea region resumes as more ships redeploy to other naval bases. Yesterday, May 20th saw the departure of several ships and vessels under the agreed arrangements of the Joint Commission of the R
Members of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 8 (EODMU 8), Platoon 802 wrapped up their participation in exercise Open Spirit 2014, May 22. Held annually in one of the Baltic States, the exercise aims to clear shipping routes, communication lines, and fishing areas and search for and dispose
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) will enter the Black Sea Friday, May 23, to promote peace and stability in the region. Vella Gulf’s mission is to work with NATO allies toward mutual goals, demonstrating the United States’ commitment to strengthening and improvin
The Royal Navy’s Flagship HMS Bulwark has given personnel from the Army and the RAF a taste of life on the ocean wave which ended with a steely display of her amphibious skills. Nearly 350 students, including international officers, from the Advanced Command and Staff Course from all three Service
A considerable load has been put on France due to its intention to continue with the construction and sale of Mistral-class ships to Russia. France said that the delivery of two warships to the Russian Navy will not be affected by the current EU sanctions imposed on Russia amid the Ukrainian crisi
Russian and Chinese navy ships have teamed up in a bilateral naval exercise called the Joint Sea-2014. The Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is paying an official visit to Beijing to, inter alia, talk about the long-awaited gas deal between the two countries, joined his Chinese counterpart Xi
On May 19, Brussels hosted the Senior Level Meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Joint Working Group on Defense Reform led by Alexander Vershbow, Deputy Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The leader of the Ukrainian delegation Andriy Parubiy, Secretary of the National Security and
Dynamic Monarch 2014, which is currently underway off the coast of Poland, is the world’s largest submarine rescue exercise. It is designed to test international forces’ interoperability and ability to respond to submarines that have become disabled anywhere in the world. The Russian Kursk disaster
The guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) departed Naval Station Norfolk, on May 20, for a two-month deployment to the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea. “It is an honor to command USS Oscar Austin as we set sail to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to enhance maritime security an
BMT Defence Services (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group, has appointed Roy Quilliam as Business Development Director. Roy joined BMT in 1990 and previously held the position of Technical Director since 2003. With over 30 years’ experience of naval engineering design and support, Roy’s involvement in
On Monday 19 May 2014, Dutch frigate HNLMS De Zeven Provenciën joined EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta. As the ship sailed towards the Gulf of Aden the crew maintained a high level of operational readiness. They conducted a hostage release exercise with a Dutch merchant vessel
Waters lap around the 97m-long hull of Britain’s newest submarine as HMS Artful was lowered into a huge basin in Barrow for the first time. The third of the Royal Navy’s Astute-class nuclear submarines was launched over the weekend in a delicate two-day operation. The boat was formally named last
US Navy Sailors Drive Potent New Riverine Boat It’s small, fast, heavily armed, networked and one of a kind. But the new coastal command boat just starting to operate in this region is giving sailors in the Persian Gulf a taste of the swift and bad-ass boats coming to the brown-water Navy. Construct
