Defense Strategies
UK ship RFA Mounts Bay reinforces NATO’s Aegean Sea mission
Royal Navy’s amphibious landing ship royal fleet auxiliary (RFA) Mounts Bay together with three border force cutters will join the NATO mission in the Aegean Sea that aims to reduce the flow of migrants from Turkey to Europe, the UK Prime Minister said ahead of an EU sumit. RFA Mounts Bay, supported
SNMCMG1 ships battle fire and floods in Germany
Ships of the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 1 recently concluded fire and flood control training in the North of Germany. The exercise took place at the Einsatzausbildungszentrum Schadensabwehr (Combat Training Centre for Damage Control or EAZS) in Neustadt, about 30 miles southeast of Ki
USS Fort McHenry only US Navy ship in Cold Response 2016
USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), a U.S. Navy Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship homeported in Mayport, Florida, is participating in Exercise Cold Response 2016. Fort McHenry will be the only U.S. Navy vessel participating in this operation, providing support for U.S. Marines as well as Navy constructi
Op Atalanta, Chinese Navy ships conduct joint training
Images: EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta warships met with their Chinese counterparts in the Indian Ocean to conduct joint training on February 27. Main focus of the training were air operations with the ships’ embarked helicopters. The Chinese ships, tanker CNS Taihu and frigate CNS Daquing, also conduc
Royal Navy’s HMS Pembroke readies for NATO deployment
Royal Navy’s Sandown-class minehunter HMS Pembroke has been training off the west coast of Scotland for the past two weeks preparing to join NATO’s Standing Mine Counter Measures Group 1. Crew 1 from the Royal Navy’s Faslane-based First Mine Counter Measures Squadron (MCM1) have been putting the shi
NATO’s SNMG2 trains during Aegean patrol
NATO’s Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) has been patrolling in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey since February 12, 2016. The group arrived in the area to participate in national and international efforts to cut the lines of illegal trafficking and illegal migration in the Aegean Sea, a
Allied warships come together for exercise Cold Response 2016
A total of 20 ships from NATO member countries are set to take part in the NATO’s, Norway-hosted, exercise Cold Response. The operational phase of the exercise will start on March 3 in Trondheim, Norway. Most of the ships from Norway, Denmark, England, France, Poland, The Netherlands, and Spain have
Russian Pacific Fleet to take part in Indonesian ex Komodo 2016
The Pacific arm of the Russian Navy fleet is set to participate in this year’s iteration of the Indonesian-organized multilateral exercise Komodo 2016, the navy confirmed. The second Komodo exercise will be held in April 2016, in Padang – West Sumatera, Siberut and Sapura islands, Indonesia. Represe
Bergen Group bags Norwegian frigate maintenance contract
Norwegian maritime services company Bergen Group Services has been awarded a one-year extension of the contract for the ship technical maintenance of the Norwegian Navy’s Fridtjof Nansen frigates. The company said the contract has an estimated value of NOK 70 (approx. $8.1) million. The project invo
HMS St Albans hosts Royal Marines for fast roping exercise
Royal Marines have tested their skills and know-how by fast roping from a helicopter onto HMS St Albans flightdeck. Using St Albans’ Merlin helicopter, one by one members of the ship’s Royal Marines Boarding Team (RMBT) carried out one of their most dangerous training exercises – descending from a h
HMCS Winnipeg returns to Canada. Arrested sailors still in Japan
Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Winnipeg returned to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt on February 23 after an eight-and-a-half month deployment and participation in two international exercises. On Operation REASSURANCE, HMCS Winnipeg served with two Standing NATO Maritime Groups, supported NA
Thales to upgrade Estonian Navy’s Sandown-class minehunters
French multinational defence contractor Thales has been contracted by the Estonian Ministry of Defence to upgrade three Estonian Navy’s Sandown-class Single Role Minehunters. Under the contract, the company will fit its Sonar 2193 system as well as its latest generation M-CUBE command and control sy
Dynamic Manta 2016 starts off Sicilian coast
Ships, submarines, aircraft and personnel from 8 Allied nations met on the Central Mediterranean Sea for Dynamic Manta 2016 (DYMA 16), NATO’s submarine warfare exercise which began February 22 off the Sicilian coast. Submarines from France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the U
Spanish OPV Atalaya deploys to West Africa
Spanish Navy offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Atalaya (P-74) set sail from Ferrol, Spain for West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea in support of the Spanish Defense Diplomacy Plan. These deployments, organized by the Ministry of Defense, the Chief of the Defense Staff (JEMAD) and the Spanish Navy, are inte