Defense Strategies
Canadian frigate HMCS St. John’s deploys to NATO SNMG1
Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigate HMCS St. John’s departed Naval Station Halifax on January 16 to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1. The bad weather delayed the frigate’s departure by two hours, but the crew are now en route to Europe where they will represent the Canadian contributi
Belgium takes the helm of SNMCMG1
The Belgian Navy is now in charge of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) after taking over from the Latvian Navy in a ceremony on January 15. Commander Peter Ramboer of the Belgian Navy relieved Latvian Commander Gvido Laudups in Zeebrugge, Belgium. Commander Laudups has led t
Norway hands over command of SNMG1 to Denmark
Norwegian Navy Commodore Petter Kammerhuber handed over command of the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) to his Royal Danish Navy counterpart, Commodore Søren Thinggaard Larsen, in a ceremony on January 15 in Bergen, Norway. SNMG1 has been under Norwegian command since January 2017, under the
USS Carney leaves Black Sea after ASW drill with Romania and Turkey
US Navy destroyer USS Carney exited the Black Sea on January 13 after making a port call in Ukraine and taking part in an anti-submarine warfare drill a Romanian frigate and a Turkish submarine. Carney spent a total of eight days in the Black Sea. “Our time in the Black Sea provided the opportunity
Royal Navy minehunter ‘Cattistock’ deploys to Baltic with NATO SNMCMG1
Royal Navy Hunt-class minehunter HMS Cattistock got underway from naval base Portsmouth on Thursday to join the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1). Cattistock will be spending the next three months in the Baltic Sea contributing to NATO mine countermeasure operations. “The ship’s c
OCEAN2020: Leonardo chosen to lead major European autonomous systems project
Italian defense company Leonardo was selected to lead the first European Defence Fund’s initiative project which will see the integration of unmanned platforms in surveillance and interdiction missions. OCEAN2020, as the project is called, is issued by the European Union under the ‘Preparatory Actio
German air-defense frigate ‘Hessen’ deploying to US for drills with US carrier strike group
German Navy’s F124 air-defense frigate FGS Hessen will be joining a US Navy aircraft carrier strike group off the US east coast for joint drills. Hessen is scheduled to depart her homeport of Wilhelmshaven on January 15 and will be joined by a Norwegian frigate which will also be integrating into a
Work on new Royal Navy museum getting underway in Plymouth
The National Museum of the Royal Navy is starting work on a £5m museum to tell the story of the Royal Navy in Plymouth, the Royal Navy has announced. The museum is a cornerstone of a 12-year plan by museum bosses which will also see a multi-million pound revamp of the Fleet Air Arm’s heritage. [&hel
US destroyer USS Ross starts its sixth forward-deployed patrol
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) got underway from Naval Station Rota, Spain, on January 8, to start its sixth forward-deployed patrol in Africa and Europe. Ross completed its previous four-month patrol in July 2017. The 2017 patrol saw the destroyer take part
Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Trumpeter starts maintenance after nine months of operations
Royal Navy’s Archer-class patrol and training vessel HMS Trumpeter is out of the water for maintenance after an operational period which saw the boat cover nearly 6,000 nautical miles and conduct 43 port visits. Trumpeter has to undergo maintenance in order to sustain operations for the next 12 mont
US destroyer USS Carney enters Ukrainian port of Odessa
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Carney (DDG64) arrived at the Ukrainian Port of Odessa on December 8, three days after entering the Black Sea. This is the destroyer’s second Odessa visit within a year. In July last year, Carney pulled into Odessa before taking part in the international e
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duncan heads for NATO SNMG2 deployment
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan got underway from naval base Portsmouth on December 8 to start her deployment to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and the Royal Navy’s operation Kipion tasking. HMS Duncan is the first Royal Navy destroyer to deploy in 2018. The remaining five destro
Report: Royal Navy helicopter carrier HMS Ocean definitely sold to Brazil
UK helicopter carrier HMS Ocean has reportedly been bought by Brazil. The purchase was confirmed by Brazilian defense minister Raul Jungmann, according to UK Defence Journal. Brazil is reportedly paying £84 million for the UK helicopter carrier which recently returned from her final deployment as a
13 Royal Navy vessels and a submarine are deployed over the holidays
The Royal Navy will have a total of 13 vessels and one of its four Vanguard-class submarines on deployment overseas and in home waters over the holiday season, according to the Royal Navy. What is missing from the list of deployed assets are any major warships as no frigates or destroyers are curren