Major General Tim Gall, the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, today visited the Operational Headquarters of EU Naval Force at Northwood Base, North London. He was met by the Deputy Operational Commander of Operation Atalanta, Rear Admiral Bartolomé Bauzá. During his visit, Major General Gall was
Following last month’s change of command from Norway to Denmark and subsequent force integration training, Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) is resuming support to NATO’s counter-terrorism Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR. “Our units are newly deployed together, and I am pleased with the way our ex
NATO Standing Mine Counter-Measures Group TWO (SNMCMG2) has wrapped up two weeks of participating in the Italian Navy hosted exercise ITA-MINEX 14. The aim of the exercise was to secure access to commercial ports through effective use of minesweepers and the use of mine hunting capabilities in an
An Taoiseach and Irish Minister for Defence Mr. Enda Kenny, T.D. has announced that an order has been placed with Babcock Marine for the 3rd Offshore Patrol Vessel for the Irish Naval Service. A vessel replacement strategy for the Naval Service has been in progress since 2007 to provide for the re
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) participated in a bilateral underway engagement with the Turkish navy corvette TCG Bykada (F 512) in the Black Sea, June 10. The engagement provided U.S. Navy assets an opportunity to work with Turkey to improve maritime capabilit
The British Armed Forces are to take part in three additional exercises in the Baltic region as part of a series of measures taken to support and reassure NATO allies in Eastern Europe. The Armed Forces’ participation in these exercises is a public demonstration of the UK’s continuing commitment t
A Royal UK Navy minehunter has been working alongside NATO forces in the Mediterranean to practise hunting and destroying mines as part of an international task force. HMS Blyth exercised her skills as part of Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) which is made up of ships from the
Four NATO ships assigned to Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group ONE (SNMCMG1) arrived in Karlskrona on Thursday, 5 June 2014, for a scheduled port visit and pre-sail conference in advance of the annual BALTOPS exercise. SNMCMG1 is visiting the port as part of the Group’s deployment to the Ba
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) welcomed aboard U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel during a scheduled port visit to Constanta, Romania, June 5. Vella Gulf’s presence in Romania reaffirms the United States’ commitment to strengthening ties with NATO allies and
The Royal UK Navy’s bomb disposal experts made safe a World War Two bomb in Axminster, Devon on 3 June. The Southern Dive Unit from Plymouth Royal Naval base in Devonport, were called by police after a home owner discovered the air-dropped German bomb when gardening. The explosive was largely iner
A new underwater target is being used to test the Royal UK Navy’s latest generation of submariners as part of a £5.3m five-year deal. It will be down to the sonar and control room teams aboard Astute, Vanguard and Trafalgar-class submarines to first find these devices in Scottish waters – then pot
USS Ross (DDG 71) departed its Norfolk homeport June 3 on her way to Rota, Spain, as the second of four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers to be forward deployed there. To enhance the security of the European region, two additional ballistic missile defense (BMD)-capable destroyers – US
Thirteen nations are scheduled to participate in the 42nd annual joint exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2014, set for June 6-21, in the Baltic Sea. BALTOPS aims to enhance multinational maritime capabilities and interoperability, while improving involvement in the larger Baltic region theater
At the end of May the EU Naval Force flagship, FGS Brandenburg, made a port visit to the island of Mayotte. Uniquely, Mayotte is the only part of the European Union located inside Operation ATALANTA’s area of operations. Mayotte, which is located in the south west corner of the Indian Ocean, becam
