The 2016 iteration of the U.S.-only exercise Valiant Shield concluded on the U.S. island territory Guam, September 23. 18,000 personnel and more than 180 aircraft from the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, and nine surface ships came together on Guam and around the Marianas Island Range Complex
Spanish Navy F-100 frigate Almirante Juan de Borbón left her homeport to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG-1) and serve as the group’s flagship until the end of December. Almirante Juan de Borbón (F-102) will relieve sister ship Méndez Núñez which is currently part of the group. This i
Cmdr. Stefan Walch is the commanding officer of USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer currently sailing off the coast of Canada taking part in the international exercise Cutlass Fury 2016. Undeterred by the exercise’s busy schedule, Cmdr. Walch has found time to take
The U.S. Navy has awarded Saab Defense and Security USA a $38 million contract to provide the AN/SPN-50 (V)1 shipboard air traffic radars for aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. According to Saab, the first award for the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the progra
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced it would launch the first Project 23370M modular cutter in Murmansk, Russia on September 24. SMK-2176, as the lead boat in the class is named, is one of three next-generation multifunctional search-and-rescue cutters the Russian Navy intends to put into serv
Dutch Commodore Luyckx who commands the Operation Atalanta’s counter-piracy force from the Dutch frigate HNLMS Tromp recently visited the commander of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, Rear Admiral Nam Dong Woo, aboard Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy warship, Munmu the Great. The visit provided an opportu
Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac-class frigate HMAS Ballarat has recently returned home to Fleet Base West following a six-month Pacific deployment. Commanding Officer, Commander David Landon said the deployment had a number of highlights, including acting as consort to one of Navy’s newest ships HMAS
Just three days into the sea phase of Exercise KAKADU, a task group of six international warships has been locked in a steady battle of anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare. The ‘Red Force’ task group is made up of a Japanese destroyer, an American destroyer, an Indonesian corvette and
Spanish Navy’s Santa María-class frigate Navarra departed Naval Base Rota to relieve sister-ship Reina Sofía in EUNAVFOR’s operation Sophia which is a mission to prevent loss of life at sea in the Mediterranean Sea. The two frigates will meet in Augusta, Italy for the handover ceremony. Operation So
Spanish Navy offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Serviola set sail from Ferrol to conduct a series of activities with African navies as part of the Defense Diplomacy Plan and a follow-on of the Africa Partnership Station (APS) initiative. These deployments are intended to enhance maritime security and coop
U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) launched the NATO Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missile to engage a target drone during a fleet firing exercise. The missile was launched on September 18 off the coast of the U.S. territory of Guam during the biennial Valiant Shield exerc
Royal Navy flagship HMS Ocean has sailed from Plymouth on a 6.5-month deployment during which it will serve as command ship for the international Combined Task Force 50 commander who will lead counter-terrorist activities. The amphibious assault ship will first form part of a UK Joint Expeditionary
U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) departed Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, on September 18, after a brief stop en route to Naval Base San Diego. Fort Worth arrived in Kwajalein September 17 for refueling and stores onload prior to continuing the transit to he
A German maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft (MPRA) airdropped supplies to the Dutch Navy frigate HLNMS Tromp at sea in the Gulf of Aden. Both the ship and the plane are currently deployed to operation Atalanta and counter piracy activities off the coast of Somalia. The purpose of the over f
