Defense Strategies
Albanian Navy starts first ever deployment with NATO
The Albanian Navy joined it’s first-ever NATO maritime mission by deploying its patrol boat ALS Oriku to Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 on Monday. The vessel will support NATO activities in the Aegean Sea as part of the international efforts to stop illegal trafficking and migration. ALS Oriku is an
Danish pilots conduct operation Ocean Shield’s final patrol
A detachment of 20 Royal Danish Air Force officers and enlisted service members took flight in their aircraft from the Seychelles one last time on November 19 marking the end of their deployment. The Royal Danish Air Force Challenger CL-604 was deployed to NATO standing Operation Ocean Shield. The D
NATO warships conclude Devonport visit
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1 left Devonport Naval Base on Monday after a routine visit. The international group, currently comprising ships from the Royal Navy and the Spanish and Portuguese navies and a German auxiliary tanker berthed in HM Naval Base Plymouth last week. SNMG 1 now s
HMS Iron Duke resumes training after maintenance period
The crew of the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Iron Duke have started a period of training under direction of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) after completing a maintenance period. This period marks the end of her busy operational period in the first half of 2016, which saw the ship deploy as par
UK’s “woefully low” escort fleet could shrink even further, report says
A UK Defence Committee Report has said that the Ministry of Defence will have to devise a sound plan for replacing its 13 ageing frigates while maintaining the already low number of operational vessels in the fleet. The report calls for the National Shipbuilding Strategy, due to be published this we
US destroyer visits Turkey for exercise Mavi Balina
U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) arrived in Aksaz, Turkey, to attend pre-sail and planning conferences for exercise Mavi Balina 16. Mavi Balina 16 is a Turkish-led maritime exercise involving NATO and regional forces in the Eastern Mediterranean to improve interoperabili
Dredging works reveal third World War II bomb in RN base Portsmouth
Dredging operators found an unexploded WWII bomb in the Portsmouth Harbour while they were preparing the port for the arrival of the Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth- class aircraft carriers. The latest discovery, which occurred in the morning hours of November 16, brings the total number of histori
German K 130 corvette Ludwigshafen am Rhein returns from NATO deployment
German Navy’s Braunschweig-class corvette Ludwigshafen am Rhein is expected to return to her homeport in Warnemünde on November 17, after concluding her NATO deployment. Before she reaches home, the K 130 corvette will have sailed over 14.000 nautical miles and spent some 80 days with NATO’s Standin
Danish, Spanish NATO ships meet in Mediterranean
Danish Navy command and support ship HDMS Absalon hosted the crew of Spanish naval oiler ESPS Cantabria in the Mediterranean Sea last week. Danish Commander Per Moll Petersen who is at the helm of HDMS Absalon hosted Commander Santiago de Colsa Trueba, commanding officer of the Spanish naval oiler E
NATO explains its newest operation in 20-minute video
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has officially started a new central Mediterranean Sea operation called Sea Guardian wherein three ships and two submarines are already conducting their first patrols. The operation started November 9 and will run through November 17 in its initial phase. Furth
Reports: A Dutch submarine is caught spying on Russian aircraft carrier in the Med
Two Russian Navy destroyers in charge of protecting the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov on its deployment to the Mediterranean have detected and chased away a Dutch Navy submarine which attempted to spy on the group, Russian Ministry of Defence said. According to several media reports, including
NATO kicks off new operation Sea Guardian
Three NATO ships and two submarines began a new NATO maritime security operation in the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday. Italian frigate ITS Aviere, Bulgarian frigate BGS Verni, Turkish frigate TCG Gemlik, Greek submarine HS Papanikolis and the Spanish submarine ESPS Mistral – will conduct the first
Canadian Navy chief visits NATO’s London headquarters
Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy met with the commander of the Allied Maritime Command at the headquarters of NATO’s maritime forces in the United Kingdom’s Northwood facility near London. Vice Admiral Ron Lloyd (Royal Canadian Navy) and Vice Admiral Clive Johnstone (Royal Navy) talked about the
Watch Su-33 and MiG-29K jets take off from Admiral Kuznetsov off the coast of Syria
The Russian Navy’s aircraft carrier group centered around the carrier-cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov has reached the coasts of Syria where they have started carrier-based flight drills. In a Russian Ministry of Defense video shared by Russian TVZvezda, the ships are seen sailing in formation while aircra