Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) arrived in White Beach, Okinawa, after completing a 10-day certification exercise (CERTEX) with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in the East China Sea March 21. CERTEX is a comprehensive, complex training evolution that combines the Navy and Mari
The US Navy’s first littoral combat ship, USS Freedom (LCS 1), arrived in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) March 20, marking a key milestone in Freedom’s eight-month deployment to Southeast Asia. Arriving within days of 7th Fleet’s 70th anniversary March 15, Freedom follows in the wak
Two hundred sailors from HMS Sultan will exercise their freedom of the borough of Gosport by marching through the town on Friday (March 22). The parade – the first in eight years – marks Gosport Borough Council’s recent updating of the original freedom status granted to the engineering training scho
Cassidian Optronics is improving the mission effectiveness of the 209 class submarines of the Colombian Navy by installing state-of-the-art sighting systems. After the already ordered refurbishment of an attack periscope, the Colombian Navy has now ordered a SERO 250 search periscope from Cassidian
HMAS Newcastle achieved the milestone of Unit Readiness while conducting collective training with other Australian Defence Force (ADF) assets including the submarine HMAS Sheean and combat aircraft from the Air Force. Sea Training Group mentors assessed Newcastle as Unit Ready in all areas during a
Naval Beach Group (NBG) 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 1 and USNS Bob Hope (T-AKR 300) collaborated during training exercise Brilliant Scepter March 4-8. Brilliant Scepter displayed the Navy’s ability to perform at sea loading operations for the various vehicl
HMS Dragon sailed from Portsmouth on Tuesday (March 19) on her maiden deployment, spending seven months on operations in the Middle East where she will build on the UK’s long term commitment to allies and regional partners[ in the world’s maritime centre of gravity. The Type 45 destroyer will police
On 15 March, the German Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment (AVPD), deployed with the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta, transferred the responsibility for the protection of the World Food Programme (WFP) ship MV Caroline Scan to an AVPD from Finland. The German AVPD returns
The U.S. Coast Guard, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, other state and local agencies, along with Chevron Shipping and numerous pollution response and salvage companies and organizations participated in a major drill in Astoria, Thursday, designed to prepare personnel for a coordinated re
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) wrapped up more than a year’s worth of maintenance and overhaul Monday and headed back to her traditional homeport of San Diego. In January 2012, Reagan executed an administrative homeport change to Bremerton, Wash., where it underwent multiple preservation and system upgr
HMS Defender – the fifth of the Royal Navy’s powerful new Type 45 destroyers – will be formally commissioned into the fleet on Thursday (March 21). Hundreds of guests including families of the 190 ship’s company will attend a colourful ‘Christening’ ceremony at Portsmouth Naval Base to mark the ship
Sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) and Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) conducted a noncombatant evacuation operation (NEO) drill while underway off the coast of Okinawa March 15. NEO is the safe evacuation of American civilians and embassy o
The guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) visited Bar, Montenegro, for a port visit March 11-14. Sailors had the opportunity to experience Montenegro’s culture and spend time engaging with the community, including sporting events with Montenegrin sailors, tours of the towns of Perast, Kotor
The multinational maritime exercise Saharan Express 2013 (SE-13) successfully concluded with post-sail discussions and a press conference, March 14. SE-13, which began March 7, is a maritime exercise designed to improve cooperation among participating nations in order to increase counter-piracy capa
