Training & Education
USS Benfold Changes Command in Japan
U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) held a change of command ceremony at the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet headquarters U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan on November 30. Commander Justin L. Harts relieved Commander Michele M. Day as the ship’s commanding officer
USS Stethem Joins PLA Navy for Drills in East China Sea
The U.S. Navy’s destroyer USS Stethem teamed with People’s Liberation Army-Navy PLA(N) guided-missile frigate Xuzhou (FFG 530) to practice the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) and conduct a search-and-rescue (SAR) exercise on November 20. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile ship, Steth
British Forces Assist Cruise Ship in the Falkland Islands
British naval and air forces based in the Falkland Islands responded to a distress call by the 10,000 tonne cruise ship Le Boreal on November 18. The ship reported suffering a major engine room fire, which caused the loss of all power and left the ship drifting. Strong winds placed the ship in real
Image of the Day: Australian Dual-RAS
HMAS Sirius rendezvoused with HMA Ships Arunta and Stuart to re-form Australian Navy’s Task Group 627.3 and conduct a replenishment at sea. HMAS Sirius exercised some vital maritime communication and safety procedures recently off Vietnam, undertaking a passage exercise with Vietnamese People’s Navy
US Navy, JMSDF Commence Annual Exercise 16
Sailors and units with the U.S. Navy’s Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group (RRCSG) along with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) began their Annual Exercise (AE) 16, November 16. AE16 is a bilateral field-training exercise to increase interoperability between the United States Navy (USN) a
US, ROK Navy Conclude Ex Clear Horizon
U.S. Navy’s Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron (HM) 14, Detachment 1, and Mine Countermeasure Squadron (MCMRON) 7, completed the bilateral mine countermeasures exercise Clear Horizon with the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy, November 13. Exercise Clear Horizon is an annual bilateral exercise betw
US, Japan Plan Maritime Field Training Exercise
The 2015 edition of Annual Exercise, a bilateral maritime field training exercise involving the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and U.S. Navy (USN), will be conducted Nov. 16-25. The training will take place in the waters south of Japan. Annual Exercise, the premier training event between
US Navy Continues Patrols in South China Sea
Ships from the U.S. Navy’s Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) transited the Straits of Malacca and conducted routine operations in the South China Sea from November 7-10. The ARG’s flagship, the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), conducted the patrol as the amphibious transport
Japanese Naval Ships Visit Sri Lanka
Japanese naval ships, JS Makinami (DD-112) and JS Suzunami (DD-114), arrived at the Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka on a goodwill visit on November 10, 2015. The two ships are en route for counter piracy operations off Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. This visit marks the 50th port call to Sri Lanka by the
21st CARAT Brunei Wraps Up
A closing ceremony for the 21st annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Brunei exercise was held at Muara Naval Base, Nov. 6. CARAT is a bilateral exercise series between the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the armed forces of nine partner nations in South and Southeast Asia, inclu
U.S., ROK Navy to Conduct Ex Clear Horizon
The U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) navies will participate in Exercise Clear Horizon which is to take place in waters south of the Korean peninsula from November 9-13. Clear Horizon is an annual exercise between the U.S. and ROK navies designed to improve cooperation and capabilities in mine count
Sri Lanka, India Wrap Up SLINEX 2015
The Sri Lanka Navy and Indian Navy Exercise (SLINEX 2015) concluded on November 1, 2015, in Trincomalee. The joint naval exercise enabled both Navies to rehearse and improve capabilities and enhance operational effectiveness required to maintain maritime security in the region by integrating forces.
Germantown to Start Maintenance in Japan
Following a four-month patrol, the US amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) will now start maintenance works in Sasebo, Japan. The vessel returned to its forward-deployed home port on November 4. It will now begin a maintenance availability period to sustain the ship’s readiness postu
Australian, Chinese Navies Practice Skills
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) conducted a port visit and naval exercise with the People’s Liberation Army – Navy (PLA-N) in Zhanjiang, China from October 31 to November 2. The port visit by HMA Ships Stuart and Arunta to Zhanjiang included a combined planning session for the exercise, official fun