Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69) departed Naval Station Mayport Dec. 4 to relieve USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) later this month as the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 flagship and to support theater security cooperation efforts in Europe. The crew recently participated in Join
This week the crew of a Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) P-3 Orion from the Royal New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) completed their support to NATO’s counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD (OOS) Task Force 508 (CTF-508). Between 13 and 30 November, the NATO partner nation’s detachment of more than 50 cr
The Spanish Navy’s frigate “Reina Sofía” has completed its participation in NATO’s counter-terrorist operation “Active Endeavour” in the Mediterranean Sea. The vessel departed the Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG-2) after participating in the operation for a month and a half and returned to its Ro
Maritime professionals from North Africa, Europe and the U.S. started another round of planning for Phoenix Express 2015 at the NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Center in Souda Bay, Greece, Dec. 2. The four-day planning event, the second of three before exercise execution in spring 20
Participants from Denmark, France and Germany participated together with selected units from Norway’s broad range of naval vessels in the formally named Task Group 14-3 fall exercise on the west coast of Norway. Frigates, corvettes, submarines, mine counter meassure-, patrol- and logistics vessels p
The Republic of Korea’s Director General for International Policy, the Honorable Jeong Kyu Lee, led a delegation of officials visiting NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) to meet with MARCOM Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Giorgio Lazio and discuss issues of shared importance and opportunities for coo
Three ships assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2) arrived in Piraeus Nov. 26, for a scheduled port visit during the Group’s deployment to the Mediterranean to enhance maritime security and readiness, and in support of NATO’s counter-terrorism Operation Active Endeavour (OAE). During t
HMS Quorn, sailed into Ipswich yesterday, 27th November, for a five-day visit. The Royal Navy minehunter will be open to the public on Saturday 29th November on a ticket-only basis between 9.30am and 4pm with the last entry at 3pm. The highlight of the visit comes on Sunday 30th November, when the s
The NATO counter-piracy flagship of Task Force 508 (CTF 508) HDMS ESBERN SNARE and the Royal Navy of Oman corvette RNOV AL-RASIKH on November 24th conducted a naval exercise in the Arabian Sea off Salalah to improve interoperability and strengthen relations between the forces. The exercise focused m
On November 26th, 2014, NATO and Japanese maritime forces continued to strengthen relations and enhance interoperability by conducting a combined exercise in the Gulf of Aden. It was a follow-on to the first-ever exercise between the two counter-piracy forces that took place two months ago. Like the
The Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, Major General Martin Smith MBE, visited the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr Koji Sekimizu, at the IMO headquarters in London on Wednesday 26 November. Meeting to discuss the current situation off the Horn of Africa
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Fort Austin has spent the last few weeks in company with HMS Bulwark as part of the Cougar 14 Task Group, sailing from the United Kingdom into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal and Red Sea and up into the Gulf. The Ship’s Company has been busy throughout, keeping th
During the last week EU Naval Force warship, ESPS Navarra, invited local Somali leaders on board in order to help build relations between the EU Naval Force and the Somali people. After being welcomed on board, the Somalis were given an insight into the EU’s Operation Atalanta, that is helping to ma
HMS Atherstone has spent the last two weeks working in close company with the ships and staff of the Japanese 51st Mine Division in the waters of the Gulf. The two Japanese Ships Bungo and Yaeyama and their Battle Staff led by Captain Yoshida, had deployed to the Gulf to take part in the Internation
