Lieutenant Commander Zeljko Pekovic has become the second naval officer from Montenegro to serve at the EU Naval Force Operational Headquarters in Northwood, UK. Lieutenant Commander Pekovic will be stationed in the Headquarters until June 2015. Montenegro started providing a military officer to t
After two months of contributing to the European Union’s fight against Somali piracy in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, French warship FS Floréal is sailing towards her home port on La Réunion, which is a French territory in the Indian Ocean. This is the fifth time that FS Floréal has participa
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and Carrier Air Wing Two departed from the Southern California operating area June 18 to participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise scheduled June 26 to Aug. 1, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. RIMPAC is the world’s largest i
Earlier today the Operational Commander of the EU Naval Force, Rear Admiral Bob Tarrant, welcomed the Defence Advisor to the People’s Republic of China Delegation to the European Union, Major General Luo Wei and his Deputy, Senior Colonel Qiu Yi, to the Operational Headquarters in Northwood. Durin
Fourteen countries, 30 ships, 52 aircraft and a massive expanse of water for one of the largest naval exercises of the year – Baltops 2014 is now underway. It started late last week in Karlskrona, Sweden, and by the time Baltops (Baltic Operations 2014) finishes on 20 June more than 100 serials wi
Friday 13th June saw the hand over of the Commandant General Royal Marines from Major General Ed Davis, CBE to Major General Martin Smith, MBE. The handover ceremony took place in the Commandant Generals Courtyard at Commando Training Centre Royal Marines and was witnessed by Commanding Officers a
The UK Navy’s new helicopter has paid its first visit to HMS Illustrious – dropping in on the veteran carrier during a submarine hunting exercise off Cornwall. Wildcat, which will replace the long-serving Lynx on the front line from next year, touched down on Lusty in the middle of Exercise Deep Blu
Sailors aboard USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) participated in a gunnery exercise with German navy ship, FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (F218), as one of many events during Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2014, June 13. A Naval Gunnery Target balloon (NavTGT) served as the exercise target. Sailors fired shots f
After a ten day work-up on-board HMS Illustrious around the Cornish coast, the Merlin Carrier Air Group (MCAG) prepare to “Go Deep” as they sail westwards out into the Atlantic in pursuit of Submarines. Exercise Deep Blue has so far seen the Merlin Mk 2s from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose put t
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) arrived at Naval Station Rota, Spain to begin her forward deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, June 16. Ross, departed Norfolk, Va., June 3, and is the second of four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers to
The F-100 frigates ‘Álvaro de Bazán’, ‘Almirante Juan de Borbón’, ‘Blas de Lezo’ and ‘Méndez Núñez’ from the 31st Escort Squadron have participated in a series of exercises off the Galician coast from the 9th to the 13th of June. The goal was to enhance training on anti-air warfare, operations wit
Rear-Admiral (ESP N) Eugenio Diaz Del Rio, Commander Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2), handed over command of NATO’s counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD task force (TF 508) to Commodore (Royal Danish Navy) Aage Buur Jensen, Commander SNMG1 during an operational handover in Souda Bay on Sat
Sandown class mine hunter HMS Bangor has left Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard for sea trials on Friday, 13 June, following a successful six month Support Period (Docking) (SP(D)). The SP(D), carried out under the Surface Ship Support Alliance Class Output Management (COM) arrangements by the Babcock-led
Senior representatives from the Royal UK Navy and the Royal Netherlands Navy have signed a long-standing agreement to share operational training and naval assets. Vice Admiral David Steel CBE, Second Sea Lord and Vice Admiral Matthieu J M Borsboom, Commander Royal Netherlands Navy signed the memor
