Spanish Navy F-100 frigate Almirante Juan de Borbón left her homeport to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG-1) and serve as the group’s flagship until the end of December. Almirante Juan de Borbón (F-102) will relieve sister ship Méndez Núñez which is currently part of the group. This i
U.S. marines and sailors from the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) with U.S. Embassy-Muscat and Royal Omani Police conducted the first non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO) exercise in Muscat, September 20-21. The exercise consisted of amphibious transpor
Cmdr. Stefan Walch is the commanding officer of USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer currently sailing off the coast of Canada taking part in the international exercise Cutlass Fury 2016. Undeterred by the exercise’s busy schedule, Cmdr. Walch has found time to take
The Finnish Navy said it would be joining the European exercise Emerald Move 16 which is set to take place in Italy in September and October. The main objective of the exercise is to showcase the participating countries’ ability to command and maintain augmented amphibious brigade-level units and de
Air and surface units from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force came together to conduct a concept of operations simulated exercise during Valiant Shield 2016, Sept. 17. The concept of operations simulation is designed to improve the interoperability and tactics between multiple U.S.
The Canadian government will help OSI Maritime Systems speed up the development of its electronic chart precise integrated navigation system for warships (ECPINS) through an investment of $1.8 million (approx. US$1.4). Navdeep Bains, Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development
Spanish Navy offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Serviola set sail from Ferrol to conduct a series of activities with African navies as part of the Defense Diplomacy Plan and a follow-on of the Africa Partnership Station (APS) initiative. These deployments are intended to enhance maritime security and coop
U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) launched the NATO Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missile to engage a target drone during a fleet firing exercise. The missile was launched on September 18 off the coast of the U.S. territory of Guam during the biennial Valiant Shield exerc
U.S. Navy’s EA-18G “Green Growler” completed flight testing of a 100-percent advanced biofuel at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, in early September. “From takeoff to landing, you couldn’t tell any difference,” said Lt. Cmdr. Bradley Fairfax, project officer and test pilot with Air Test a
USS Wichita, the U.S. Navy’s 13th littoral combat ship was launched during a September 17 ceremony at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette. Lockheed Martin, the company leading the industry team that builds the Freedom variant of LCS ships has shared a video of LCS 13 hitting the w
After concluding mission stops in six countries, this years’s Pacific Partnership arrived in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of responsibility en route to Hawaii aboard hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19). Pacific Partnership members are on a brief stop as the mission nears conclusion. Mercy departed Naval B
Royal Navy frigate HMS Monmouth abandoned the scenario during a Canadian-hosted anti-submarine exercise in order to help a Canadian fisherman in the North Atlantic. The Plymouth-based ship was around 100 miles east of Nova Scotia when she picked up a mayday. The crew of the trawler Double Mischief r
NATO and ally nation ships have concluded this year’s edition of the German-sponsored large-scale exercise Northern Coasts. The two-week exercise started on September 5 in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was attended by ships and aircraft from 14 countries including Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Estoni
Following a request for information (RFI) for its Squadron 2020 project to construct four ice-going offshore patrol vessels, the Finnish Navy has now signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the Rauma-based shipbuilding company Rauma Marine Constructions. If the LOI is realized, the company will build f