Defense Strategies
FGS Bad Rappenau Departs NATO Mission
The German Mine Countermeasures Ship FGS Bad Rappenau is expected to sail into the Kiel naval base on November 27. The 3rd Minesweeping Squadron ship was part of SNMCMG 1 (Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 1) during the last four months as a German contribution to NATO forces. The ship left
UK Announces £178 B of Defence Investment
UK’s new defence plan envisions the commissioning of new Type 26 Global Combat Ships from the mid-2020s, upgraded maritime helicopters and the new aircraft carrier in operating capability by 2020. This plan is backed with a £178 B budget which represents a £12 B increase on previous plans. The Natio
HMS Duncan in the Black Sea
Britain’s newest warship, HMS Duncan, spent a week in the Black Sea with the Romanian and Bulgarian Navies. Fresh from operations in the Gulf, the ship sailed through the Bosphorus to work with NATO allies. Operating off Burgas, Bulgaria, and Constanța, Romania, the destroyer carried out training ma
Russian Navy Receives Two New Corvettes
Performance trials of the two Project 21631 corvettes, Serpukhov and Zeleny Dol, were successfully completed at the Black Sea Fleet military naval base Novorossiysk, Russia. The ships were built at the Zelenodolsky shipyard named after A.M. Gorky within the implementation of the shipbuilding program
HMS Ocean Embarks US Ospreys
MV-22 Osprey aircraft from U.S. Marine Corps got on the flightdeck of the Royal Navy’s helicopter carrier and assault ship HMS Ocean for a series of US/UK exercises. For several weeks the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft will fly off the deck of HMS Ocean transporting US and Royal Marines from ship
US Ospreys Embark on Flight Deck of LHD Juan Carlos I
The Spanish Navy’s Landing Helicopter Dock LHD Juan Carlos I embarked four MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft from a U.S. Marine Corps Squadron during the international NATO exercise Trident Juncture 2015. This deployment represents a milestone because it is the first time a USMC Air Squadron becomes
Croatian Navy Vessels Back from TJ15
Two amphibious landing ships of the Croatian Navy, DBM 81 Cetina and DBV 82 Krka are expected to return to their homeport, Naval Base Lora, today, November 13. The ships took part in NATO’s Trident Juncture 2015 and supported the Croatian Army, transporting personnel and equipment during the drills.
SNMG1 Continues Operation Active Endeavour
Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) led by Rear Admiral Alberto Correia, Portuguese Navy, resumed NATO’s counter-terrorism Operation Active Endeavour (OAE) this week. SNMG1 currently consists of the Flagship – Portuguese frigate NRP D. Francisco de Almeida, the Spanish frigate ESPS Blas de Lezo,
BAE Systems to Reduce Workforce in Australia
BAE Systems, a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company, in an update on its business announced a “further headcount reductions” at its Australian shipyard. Despite Australia’s intention to launch a naval shipbuilding strategy, BAE Systems said that “it is unclear whether this i
Lisbon, Portugal Hosts Spanish Frigate Blas de Lezo
Spanish Navy’s frigate Blas de Lezo (F103) paid a visit to the port of Lisbon, Portugal, between 5 and 9 November. The vessel sailed to the port after it concluded participation in the exercises TRIDENT Juncture 15. Blas de Lezo docked at the maritime terminal of Alcantara in the port of Lisbon, whe
One More Patrol Vessel Ordered for Italian Navy
As part of the Italian Navy’s renewal plan, another Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Ship has been ordered for its fleet. OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation sur l’Armement) has ordered the consortium (Raggruppamento Temporaneo di Impresa – RTI) consisting of Fincantieri, agent, and Finmeccanic
USS Carney Starts First 6th Fleet Patrol
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) departed Naval Station Rota, Spain November 7, 2015, to begin its first forward-deployed patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. Carney’s patrol will enhance the security in the European theater, while operating in s
Video: Maritime Component of Trident Juncture
NATO’s Maritime Forces were the focus of the maritime Distinguished Visitors’ Day of Exercise Trident Juncture 2015 which took place November 5. Nineteen NATO nations are contributing navy and marine forces to Trident Juncture 2015, the Alliance’s biggest and most ambitious exercise in more than a d
NATO Secretary General Attends Trident Juncture 15 at Sea
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, together with other senior Allied officials, observed a number of Exercise Trident Juncture 2015 training sessions of NATO’s maritime forces in Portugal on Thursday, November 5. The Secretary General, together with Portuguese President Dr. Anibal Cavaco Silva