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
Navy commanders from 14 countries were hosted by Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Stuart Mayer, for the inaugural Regional Commanders’ Conference to discuss maritime security and interoperability in the Asia-Pacific. The high level discussions between navies were attached to exercise Kakadu
The 2016 edition of the largest annual multilateral disaster relief preparedness mission Pacific Partnership concluded in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. The mission was led by Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 23, embarked aboard hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19). Approximately 1,200 military and civi
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Perth, currently conducting security operations in the Middle East region as part of Operation Manitou is joined by the new MH-60R or ‘Romeo’ Seahawk helicopter. This is the Navy’s 63rd Middle East rotation and the first time an Australian warship has deployed with
HMAS Perth has notched up more-than 10,000 nautical miles since leaving Australia on 7 June, and Commanding Officer, Captain Ivan Ingham, said his crew has now settled in to their Middle East deployment. “The first phase was getting to the Middle East region and on the way we travelled via Indonesia
New Zealand’s Navy will receive a new support vessel after Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee announced that the government approved a Ministry of Defence and New Zealand Defence Force recommendation to request tenders for a new naval ship to support littoral operations. The littoral operations support
Pacific Partnership 2016, embarked aboard hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), arrived in Padang August 19 for the fifth and final mission stop of 2016. This year marks the fifth time the mission has visited Indonesia and will include partner nations’ military forces from Australia, Canada, Japan, Ne
Pacific Partnership 2016 arrived in Palau, August 4, aboard JS Shimokita (LST 4002), making this the second year Pacific Partnership has visited Palau since the mission began in 2006. While Shimokita is in Palau, USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and the rest of the Pacific Partnership 2016 team are making missi
Pacific Partnership service members from New Zealand, the U.S. and Australia supported a Da Nang border guard-led Search and Rescue Field Training Exercise (SAR FTX) July 26 that began on the Han River and concluded aboard Vietnam people’s navy hospital ship Khanh Hoa and USNS Mercy (T-AH 19). The F
Enhanced mine warfare capabilities will soon be a reality for the Royal Australian Navy, with Australia Mine Warfare Team 16 being officially named at a ceremony at HMAS Waterhen. The team, named after the 16th Mine Sweeping Squadron, achieved the milestone on Thursday 14 July, with Chief of Navy, V
Pacific Partnership 2016 (PP16) kicked off in Da Nang, Vietnam on July 15, for the third consecutive year, with the arrival of the U.S. hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and the Japanese Navy ship JSDS Shimokita (LST-4002). This year, the Vietnam People’s Navy ship Khanh Hoa is also participating.
Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac-class frigate HMAS Perth carried out a security patrol of oil and gas platforms located on the Western Australian North West Shelf while en route to the Middle East and Operation Manitou. The ship departed Rockingham, WA, on June 7 to relieve Adelaide class frigate, HMA
New Zealand’s Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee launched the Defence White Paper 2016 on June 8, announcing a 15-year modernisation plan worth nearly $20 billion. While the paper announces that several Navy assets would be replaced or enhanced, it does not provide details on the options considered or
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have kicked off the Malaysia phase of the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series between the U.S. and the armed forces of nine ASEAN member-countries. CARAT is a series of bilateral naval exercises between the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Co
