Defense Strategies
Multi-Ship refueling keeps Operation Atalanta warships on patrol
Operation Atalanta’s warships are deployed off the coast of Somalia to ensure that the pirate attacks that terrorized seafarers in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden for a number of years are not allowed to resurge. In order to ensure that the EU NAVFOR warships are able to maintain their counter-pir
Sea Breeze 2016 opening ceremony takes place in Odessa
Military leaders and maritime forces from participating nations attended the Sea Breeze 2016 opening ceremony in Odessa, Ukraine, July 24. Sea Breeze, now in its 15th iteration, is an air, land and maritime exercise designed to improve maritime safety, security and stability in the Black Sea. “The t
HMS Somerset gets new commander
Commander Tim Berry has assumed command of the Royal Navy warship HMS Somerset based at Plymouth Navy Base. Tim was born and raised in South Somerset and joined the Royal Navy as a Warfare Officer in 1997. He has seen active service in a number of global hot-spots in the last 19 years. He said: [&he
Forces take to the field for Sea Breeze 16
More than 250 multinational military service members participated in the Sea Breeze 2016 land component demonstration at the Shyrokyi Lan training facility in Shyrokyl Lan, Ukraine, July 21. The land component of the exercise is designed to showcase the land-based capabilities of NATO allies and par
Spanish Aegis-equipped frigate tests missiles off US East Coast
Spanish Navy’s Aegis-equipped frigate Cristóbal Colón (F-105), the most modern Spanish warship, recently fired SM-2 and Evolved SeaSparrow missiles off the U.S. East Coast during a test attended by the Spanish Navy Chief and the Minister of Defense. The ship is currently in the process of testing an
Lithuanian minehunter LNS Skalvis joins NATO mine countermeasure group
LNS Skalvis (M53), a Lithuanian Navy minehunter arrived in Kiel, Germany, last weekend to join the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1). The Lithuanian ship will take part in SNMCMG1 activities and exercises in the Baltic and the North Seas until December. Eight ships from Belgium,
HMS Ocean heads Mediterranean anti-submarine warfare exercise
Royal Navy’s amphibious assault ship HMS Ocean took center stage during a multinational anti-submarine warfare exercise. The helicopter carrier and navy flagship took command of Exercise Deep Blue II in the Mediterranean this month. Ships and aircraft from the UK, US and France spent 10 days honing
Canadian Navy frigate joins NATO in Black Sea
Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Charlottetown, joined NATO’s standing maritime group 2 (SNMG2) on July 18 and will work and train in the Black Sea with vessels from several allied and partner nations until August 2, 2016. While operating in the Black Sea, the Halifax-class frigate will participat
Spanish frigate trains with Seychelles Coast Guard, Air Force
Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Santa Maria recently enjoyed a break from her counter-piracy patrolling under Operation Atalanta and had five days alongside in Port Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles, on Mahe Island. Whilst there, the crew of ESPS Santa Maria took the opportunity to conduct training
German tender gathers Lithuanian, Estonian ships for NATO’s mine countermeasure task force
German Navy tender Elbe departed her homeport in Warnemünde, Germany on July 14 to meet up with Estonian and Lithuanian ships before they join NATO’s standing mine countermeasure group 1 (SNMCMG1). The tender is to meet with the Estonian minehunter Sakala and the Lithuanian patrol boat Skalvis in Ki
Fincantieri hosts LSS’s keel laying ceremony
The keel laying ceremony of the Logistic Support Ship (LSS) was held today at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Riva Trigoso (Sestri Levante, Genoa). Construction works continue on the first unit of the renewal plan of the Italian Navy’s fleet, which has been commissioned to Fincantieri. The vessel will be
USS Whidbey Island arrives in Augusta Bay, Sicily
Amphibious dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) pulled into Augusta Bay, Sicily for a scheduled port visit July 11. The stop offers Whidbey Island the opportunity to resupply, and is the first foreign port visit for the ship’s Sailors and embarked Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary
Barack Obama first US president to visit Naval Station Rota in 15 years
United States president Barack Obama on July 10 paid a visit to Spain and U.S. Naval Station Rota on his return home from the NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland. Obama spoke to more than 2,000 American and Spanish service members and their families during his visit. The president visited USS Ross (DDG 71
Britain sends patrol vessel to aid NATO’s Aegean Sea mission
Britain has announced that it would send an offshore patrol vessel to the Aegean Sea where NATO vessels are already engaged in gathering intelligence and patrol the waters between Greece and Turkey with the aim of preventing migration and smuggling. During the NATO summit in Warsaw Defence Secretary