More than 4,500 sailors and marines from the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) are scheduled to depart U.S. Navy Base San Diego for a deployment to the U.S. 3rd, 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations, February 12. Before being certified to deploy, the indivi
Israel-based defense and homeland security company, Elbit Systems, has introduced a new unmanned vessel platform. The Seagull is a 12-meter modular, multi-mission Unmanned Surface Vessel(USV) system with replaceable mission modules and two vessels capable of being operated and controlled in concert
U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (Ike) rescued distressed mariners at sea, February 7. Ike received a distress call via bridge-to-bridge communications from the U.S.-flagged sailing vessel (S/V) Selket. The vessel was located 40-miles from Miami, with reports of a b
Images: EUNAVFOR 2016 Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Victoria on February 6 left EUNAVFOR’s Operation Atalanta after four months of counter-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean. Led by Commander Fernando José Suarez Fonseca, the ship’s crew contributed to Operation Atalanta which deters and disrupts pir
Ships of the Standing NATO Maritime Group ONE (SNMG1) arrived in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for a scheduled port visit February 5, during their deployment to the North and Baltic Seas to enhance maritime security and to contribute to international stability. SNMG1’s visit to Amsterdam precedes the
Russia’s re-emergence as a strategic challenge and how NATO is going to respond to it was the center-discussion at the Surface Warship Summit in Bucharest, Romania, held January 26-28. Speaking at the summit, Vice Admiral Clive Johnstone CB CBE, Commander of Allied Maritime Command, said: “The combi
After spending six months at sea, German Navy’s Frankenthal-class mine hunter Weilheim returned to its homeport in Kiel, Germany on February 7. The German Navy 3rd Squadron ship was part of both the German contribution to NATO’s mine countermeasures group, the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Gro
The eleventh Fleet Review comprising naval warships from Indian as well as frontline foreign navies took place February 6, 2016. After a 21-Gun salute and ceremonial Guard of Honour, President and the Supreme Commander of the armed forces of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, embarked INS Sumitra, an ind
U.S. Navy’s amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) arrived to Sattahip, Thailand February 5 to start the Thai-U.S. exercise Cobra Gold. Cobra Gold (CG) is a multinational joint exercise designed to advance regional security in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region and is scheduled to begin this we
The crew of the U.S. Navy’s next aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) held their first all-hands general quarters (GQ) damage control drill February 4. General Quarters, Battle Stations, or Action Stations is an announcement made aboard a naval warship to signal the all hands aboard a s
German Navy’s combat support ship EGV Bonn, together with the Italian frigate ITS Libeccio and the Canadian frigate HMCS Fredericton, headed for the eastern Mediterranean. Turkish frigate TCG Barbaros joined them in Aksaz, Turkey. The group conducted a range of drills before and after their port cal
The new U.S. DoD acquisition plan includes nine new Virginia-class submarines, 10 new Aegis destroyers, 40 new littoral combat ships, 13 more F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, and 16 more F/A-18E/F Super Hornets than originally planned. The U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter told this to a crowd of 150
Italian aircraft carrier, ITS Cavour, currently flagship of the EUNAVFOR MED operation Sophia, on February 3 carried out cross training with the Norwegian Multipurpose Platform Supply Vessel Siem Pilot using one of its embarked helicopters. An Italian EH-101 helicopter took off from ITS Cavour testi
Royal Navy’s Type 45 frigate HMS Defender has visited the island nation of Sri Lanka on its return from the Arabian Gulf. The warship visited Colombo to take on stores and fuel and give the ship’s company a rest from their nine month deployment to the Gulf where they are conducting Air Command and C
