More than 40 military officials and distinguished guests attended a reception hosted by guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) during its scheduled port visit in Civitavecchia, Italy, April 4. “While deployed, we have stood by the motto ‘liberty is a mission’, which means that even while i
Italian frigate ITS Aliseo leads a line of international warships behind HMS Brocklesby as the British warship shows the way through a minefield off Crete. Over two hectic days off the north coast of the Mediterranean island, the Portsmouth-based minehunter and her NATO counterparts tested their abi
The Spanish oceanic patrol vessel (OPV) ‘Infanta Elena’ called at Douala (Cameroon) from March 29th to April 2nd as part of her scheduled African deployment. The main goal of the port of call was cooperation and training of Cameroonian Navy forces on Maritime Security. During the instruction sessi
As a casualty with severe injuries arrives on board RFA Argus following a battlefield skirmish, Royal Navy doctors, nurses and surgeons move into position to begin their fight to save her life. Moving her down into the Primary Casualty Receiving Facility (PCRF)on board the ship, the medical staff
HMS Portland became the first Royal Navy Ship to visit São Tomé and Príncipe in 29 years when she anchored off the islands for a two day visit. The last Royal Navy Ship to visit the islands was the survey vessel HMS Herald in 1985. Prior to that, the last recorded visit of a […]
On Sunday 6 April, Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjean (French Navy) handed over the Force Command of EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta to Rear Admiral Jürgen zur Mühlen (German Navy) during a Change of Command ceremony held on board FS Siroco in the Port of Djibouti. Deputy Operation C
Last week German Navy frigate, FGS Brandenburg, completed her transit through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea towards the waters of the Gulf of Aden to start counter piracy operations with the EU Naval Force Somalia, Operation Atalanta. The Suez Canal, which is 162 kilometres in length is an extrem
On Monday, 1 April 2014, the NATO counter-piracy task force (CTF-508) frigates ESPS CRISTOBAL COLON and ITS FRANCESCO MIMBELLI conducted an Air Defence Exercise (ADEX) with USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH and USS PHILIPPINE SEA, testing their surface warfare and anti-air warfare skills. Before commencing the
Refugees from a war-torn country have been processed and safely evacuated by the Royal Navy’s Fleet Flagship HMS Bulwark as part of a large multinational exercise scenario. More than 60 naval personnel from the Plymouth-based amphibious assault ship and around 30 Royal Marines of 539 Assault Squad
On Wednesday 2 April, German Navy frigate, FGS Hessen departed the waters of the Gulf of Aden and headed for home after completing four months of counter piracy patrols with the EU Naval Force. After a short port stop in Malaga, Spain, FGS Hessen will arrive in her home port in Wilhelmshaven on Th
The U.S. Defense Department is deploying additional Marines to enlarge a rotational crisis response force based in Spain, and is also dispatching a naval vessel to the Black Sea to conduct exercises with U.S. allies in the region, a Pentagon spokesman said yesterday. Army Col. Steve Warren told re
The Russian takeover of Crimea from Ukraine has NATO allies worried, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday (April 1). Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told reporters traveling with him that one of Russia’s reasons for invading Crimea was to protect ethnic Russians living there.
The frigate ‘Cristóbal Colón’ and the OPV ‘Relámpago’ visited Doha (Qatar) during the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2014) Both warships made the most of their scheduled port calls in support of the national defense industry in what is considered the most imp
The Spanish frigate ‘Álvaro de Bazán’ (F-101) has arrived in Ferrol after 179 days out of her home port, integrated into the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG-2). During this deployment the F-101 participated in operation ‘Active Endeavour’ fighting terrorism in the Mediterranean Sea and the coun