Friday 13th June saw the hand over of the Commandant General Royal Marines from Major General Ed Davis, CBE to Major General Martin Smith, MBE. The handover ceremony took place in the Commandant Generals Courtyard at Commando Training Centre Royal Marines and was witnessed by Commanding Officers a
After a ten day work-up on-board HMS Illustrious around the Cornish coast, the Merlin Carrier Air Group (MCAG) prepare to “Go Deep” as they sail westwards out into the Atlantic in pursuit of Submarines. Exercise Deep Blue has so far seen the Merlin Mk 2s from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose put t
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) arrived at Naval Station Rota, Spain to begin her forward deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, June 16. Ross, departed Norfolk, Va., June 3, and is the second of four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers to
The president of the Republic of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, visited the ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ on June 9th during the scheduled port of call of the training ship in Ireland. The ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ had arrived on Saturday 7th from New York and berthed at Sir John Rogersons’ Quay in th
Rear-Admiral (ESP N) Eugenio Diaz Del Rio, Commander Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2), handed over command of NATO’s counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD task force (TF 508) to Commodore (Royal Danish Navy) Aage Buur Jensen, Commander SNMG1 during an operational handover in Souda Bay on Sat
Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group TWO (SNMCMG2) arrived in Valletta on Thursday, 12 June 2014, for a scheduled port visit during the Group’s deployment to the Mediterranean to enhance maritime security in the region and strengthen relations between NATO and Malta. During this port visit, t
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) departed the Black Sea after a series of engagements promoting peace and stability in the region, June 12. Vella Gulf’s mission, while in the Black Sea, was to work with NATO allies and European partners, demonstrating the United
Thales Alenia Space announced on June 9 the completion of the acquisition of the space activities of Systems Engineering & Assessment Limited (SEA), part of Cohort plc. This acquisition will reinforce the perimeter of its new subsidiary Thales Alenia Space UK and will boost its growth in systems e
Secretary of the US Navy Ray Mabus visited Helsinki, Finland, June 10 to meet with government and military officials and reinforce the existing partnership between the United States and Finland. Mabus met with Finland’s Minister of Defense Carl Haglund and the Commander of the Finnish Navy, Rear A
The Naval Supply Fleet Logistics Center has selected Northrop Grumman Corporation as one of the seven prime contractors to continue providing logistics, intelligence, and technology support to the Joint Staff J7 Directorate for Joint Force Development (JFD) in Suffolk. The multiple-award, indefini
Major General Tim Gall, the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, today visited the Operational Headquarters of EU Naval Force at Northwood Base, North London. He was met by the Deputy Operational Commander of Operation Atalanta, Rear Admiral Bartolomé Bauzá. During his visit, Major General Gall was
Following last month’s change of command from Norway to Denmark and subsequent force integration training, Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) is resuming support to NATO’s counter-terrorism Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR. “Our units are newly deployed together, and I am pleased with the way our ex
NATO Standing Mine Counter-Measures Group TWO (SNMCMG2) has wrapped up two weeks of participating in the Italian Navy hosted exercise ITA-MINEX 14. The aim of the exercise was to secure access to commercial ports through effective use of minesweepers and the use of mine hunting capabilities in an
An Taoiseach and Irish Minister for Defence Mr. Enda Kenny, T.D. has announced that an order has been placed with Babcock Marine for the 3rd Offshore Patrol Vessel for the Irish Naval Service. A vessel replacement strategy for the Naval Service has been in progress since 2007 to provide for the re
