On August 23, the Dutch minehunter HNLMS Willemstad disarmed the 1,000th explosive since 2005 off the coast of Hook of Holland. From that year, the Dutch and Belgian navies intensified their hunt for explosives in the North Sea after 3 fishermen were killed when an aircraft bomb brought to the surfa
On 26 August, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Commission Vice President, Catherine Ashton visited the French EU Naval Force Somalia Operation Atalanta (EU NAVFOR) warship La Fayette during her visit to Kenya and Somalia. She was welcomed on board by the Com
After her involvement in the London 2012 Olympics, the crew of HMS Bulwark is preparing to serve as the hub for the security effort surrounding the Paralympic sailing events. The assault ship will serve as the command and control centre for maritime security operations around Portland for the durati
Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic held change of command ceremony onboard Naval Station Norfolk Aug. 24. Capt. John Korka relieved Capt. Mark Libonate as commanding officer. In his remarks, Libonate thanked the 3,400 men and women of NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic for their hard work a
The 10th annual Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) exercise commenced Aug. 27, with liaison officers from the United States, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand tracking contacts of interest in a maritime interdiction scenario. SEACAT highlights the value of inf
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN)(Manpower and Reserve Affairs), Honorable Juan M. Garcia III, kicked off a tour to the region Japan U.S. military installations with a visit to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) Aug. 27. During his tour of the region, Garcia is scheduled to visit a tota
On 24 August 2012 the Force Commanders from the EU Naval Force Somalia – Operation Atalanta (EU NAVFOR), NATO Operation Ocean Shield (TF-508) and Combined Task Force 151 (operated by the Combined Maritime Forces – CMF) met on board the EU NAVFOR flagship ITS San Guisto (Italian Navy) to further enha
U.S Naval Forces Europe participated in the first Senegal navy staff talks August 23-24 at the Senegal navy headquarters in Dakar. Rear Adm. Mohamed Sane, chief of navy staff for the Senegal Navy, presided over the two-day meeting along with Rear Adm. Kenneth “K.J.” Norton, chief of staff for U.S. N
After having taken part in the Ocean Shield counterpiracy operation, HNLMS Evertsen arrived back in her home port of Den Helder on 18 August. Defence Minister Hans Hillen emphasised the importance of the mission for the Netherlands. “Our prosperity depends, after all, on free trade, the unimpeded tr
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is participating in the annual Southeast Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism (SEACAT) exercise, together with the United States Navy and navies from Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. This year’s exercise, which will be held from 27 Aug to 3 Sep 2012
Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $22,628,756 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-10-C-2110 for additional advance planning efforts to prepare for the refueling complex overhaul of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and its reactor plants, the U.S. Department of
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced on August 24 that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division opened a new, 65,000-square-foot facility, called the Supplemental Module Outfitting Facility (SMOF), to facilitate the Virginia Class Submarine (VCS) Program’s two-submarines-per-year build
The chief of naval operations (CNO) established a board known as the LCS Council Aug. 22 made up of four Navy vice admirals to oversee continued fleet testing and introduction of littoral combat ship (LCS) sea frames, mission modules, and mission packages. Adm. Jonathan Greenert designated Vice Adm.
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Stennis here that they and their ship, and others like it, are the “heart and soul” of the nation’s defense strategy, Aug. 22. “All of you deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the great job the Stennis has done in th
