Defense Strategies
Italian Navy research vessel ‘Alliance’ wraps up Iceland-Greenland Seas Project
Italian Navy’s multi-purpose research vessel ITS Alliance is set to return to its homeport in La Spezia, Italy, on April 6, concluding a 79-day mission in waters off Iceland and Greenland. Alliance’s mission was to support a project carried out under the custody of NATO’s Center for Maritime Researc
Spain-based Aegis destroyer starts fifth forward-deployed patrol
US Navy’s forward-deployed Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) got underway Naval Station Rota, Spain, on April 2 to start its fifth patrol in the US 6th Fleet area of operations. “We are excited to be heading out on our fifth patrol. The crew has completed a lot of hard
Dutch Navy amphibious ship joins NATO operation Sea Guardian
HNLMS Karel Doorman, the Royal Netherlands Navy’s multi-purpose amphibious ship, got underway from its Den Helder homeport on April 4 to join the NATO-led operation Sea Guardian. Karel Doorman will spend the next nine weeks patrolling the Mediterranean Sea monitoring patterns-of-life to detect suspi
Annual mine countermeasure drill Dynamic Move concludes in Belgium
The annual NATO-led mine countermeasure exercise Dynamic Move concluded at Ecole de Guerre des Mines (EGUERMIN), the Belgium-Netherlands Naval Mine Warfare School, on March 29. Mine warfare specialists from 16 allied nations and four NATO partners took part in two weeks of drills aimed at improving
UK gov’t invests more in building new class of submarines
The UK is to receive its new world-class nuclear submarines on time after the country’s government announced additional funds for defense. Specifically, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will benefit from an extra GBP 800 million in the next financial year, the Chancellor and Defence Secretary have conf
Navy wins big in Dutch 2018 defense white paper
The Royal Netherlands Navy, with over EUR6 billion in funds set aside for its acquisition and maintenance programs, is the major winner of the Netherlands defense ministry’s 2018 white paper. Army and air force follow with little over two and one billion euros, respectively, while 1.7 billion is to
German combat support ship concludes SNMG2 deployment
German Navy combat support ship EGV Frankfurt am Main has wrapped up its deployment to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 and is now en route to its homeport. Frankfurt am Main is scheduled to enter Wilhelmshaven on March 29 after spending five and a half months underway. The ship deployed to SNMG2 in
German P-3C Orion MPRA returns to Djibouti
A German P-3C Orion maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft (MPRA) and its crew have returned to Djibouti to rejoin the fight against piracy as part of the EU NAVFOR-led operation Atalanta. The P-3C, its crew and supporting staff deployed to the Horn of Africa area of operations on March 23 to w
Obangame Express kicks off in Gabon
Obangame Express, an exercise sponsored by US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and designed to improve regional cooperation, kicked off on March 21 with an opening ceremony in Libreville, Gabon. The annual exercise aims to enhance maritime domain awareness (MDA), information-sharing practices, and tactical
Qatari Coast Guard orders nine more vessels from ARES, BMT
UK-based engineering consultancy BMT and Turkey’s ARES Shipyard have received a new order from the Qatari Coast Guard which includes an additional nine vessels. The order was officially signed during Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) last week. The new order cove
UK MoD awards £160m Type 45 destroyer propulsion repair contract
The UK defense ministry has awarded a £160 million (approx. $226.5m) contract to a BAE Systems-led team to resolve the power and propulsion system issues experienced by Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers. The Power Improvement Project (PIP) will improve the resilience of the Type 45 class by installing
SNMG1 ships train with Polish Navy in Baltic Sea
After concluding exercises and at sea maneuvers with Lithuanian Navy units, ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group One (SNMG1) started a series of naval exercises with the Polish Navy in the Baltic Sea. The exercise got underway on Monday and included a number of basic and advanced maritime opera
Tactical level NATO mine countermeasure drill Dynamic Move kicks off in Belgium
The NATO-led mine countermeasure exercise Dynamic Move kicked off on March 19 at Ecole de Guerre des Mines (Naval Mine Warfare School) in Oostende, Belgium. The exercise will see the participation of mine warfare specialists from 16 allied nations and four NATO partners. Exercise Dynamic Move is an
Forward-deployed US destroyer USS Donald Cook starts US 6th Fleet patrol
The US Navy’s froward-deployed Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) got underway from Spain, to start a patrol in the US 6th Fleet area of operations. The destroyer’s seventh patrol started on March 12, as the ship and crew departed Naval Station Rota. Donald Cook wi