The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded a £15 million contract to A&P Group to install high-end military capabilities in four new tankers so that they are ready for operations by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The decision, which will see the creation of 16 new jobs, including 6 new apprenticeships, will
Over the past week, Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 and the French Navy’s CHARLES DE GAULLE Carrier Strike Group (TF 473) conducted exercises across the Mediterranean Sea in a demonstration of the power of NATO maritime forces to rapidly come together in a crisis or for collective defence. The ongoin
The Netherlands Navy took over command of Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group ONE (SNMCMG1) yesterday morning in Den Helder, the Netherlands. The Lithuanian Navy Commander Giedrius Premeneckas handed over command of SNMCMG1 to Dutch Navy Commander Peter A.J. Bergen Henegouwen during a brief ce
Cmdr. James Quaresimo relieved Cmdr. Dennis Farrell as commanding officer of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) during a change of command ceremony in port of Piraeus, Greece, January 21. Farrell successfully led Cole’s 331 Sailors through a complete training cycle; J
The Deputy Commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples (JFC NAPLES), Lieutenant-General Michael Day, OMM, MSC, CD, visited NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), meeting with the MARCOM Command Group to discuss coordination of operational activities and areas of common interest. Lieutenant-Genera
Royal Navy’s survey ship HMS Enterprise captured images of what appears to be two large mountains, which are actually underwater scans of the seabed off the coast of Northern Africa. The larger of the two seamounts, the technical name for underwater mountains, was measured at 1100m which is taller t
Rear Admiral Matt Zirkle, United States Navy, relieved Rear Admiral Bob Kamensky, United States Navy, as Commander, Submarine Forces NATO (COMSUBNATO) and Deputy Chief of Staff, Submarines, for NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), at an informal ceremony in Northwood, UK on January 16. During near
The men and women of HMS Shoreham have returned home to Faslane after seven months of operational duty in the Persian Gulf. It was a varied deployment for Crew 5 who found themselves conducting a wide range of activities throughout the Middle East, from survey missions with the Kuwaiti Navy to takin
Chinese Warships Dock in Portsmouth, UK Three Chinese Naval ships were given a rapturous welcome as they arrived in Portsmouth for a formal visit aimed at enhancing military understanding between the UK and China. Damen Completes Build of Two FCS 5009 Patrol Vessels Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT)
The Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) departed the Black Sea, Jan. 14, 2015, after a series of engagements that promoted peace and stability in the region. Donald Cook’s presence in the Black Sea serves to reaffirm U.S. commitment towards strengthening partnership
Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) ships arrived in Barcelona yesterday for a port visit and to prepare to join forces with France’s Charles de Gaulle Carrier Strike Group for a short period of combined exercises. SNMG2 leadership will meet with local Allied authorities to discuss items of mutua
An independent audit found the cost of the department’s 11 biggest equipment programmes fell by £397 million in the past year. The defence equipment plan is an annual update to Parliament on the MOD’s spending plans over the next decade. The update sets out plans to spend around £163 billion on new
During a recent port visit to The Seychelles, the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria, conducted a counter-piracy exercise called ‘Exchange 2015’ with members of the Seychelles Coast Guard and Maritime Police. The exercise was planned and coordinated with staff from EUCAP Nestor. One of the ma
The Royal Canadian Navy frigate, Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Fredericton arrived yesterday in Lisbon, Portugal to join Standing NATO Maritime Forces as part of Operation REASSURANCE, Canada’s contribution to NATO-led assurance measures that promote security and stability in Central and Easter
