HMS Illustrious, the Royal Navy’s helicopter and commando carrier, and the Type 23 Frigate HMS Kent sailed yesterday from Portsmouth to take part in Europe’s largest naval exercise off the coast of Scotland. They will join 10 other Royal Navy ships as well as vessels, submarines, aircraft and grou
On the 29th January 2014, HMS Brocklesby sailed from Portsmouth for a stormy trip across the Bay of Biscay to join the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measure Group in the Mediterranean. The crew of Brocklesby, Crew 1 of the 2nd MCM Squadron, ‘The Fighting Aces’, left the UK in to some of the worse [&h
Ships assigned as forward deployed naval forces (FDNF) of the United States Navy in Japan began the annual exercise Multi-Sail 14, March 21. Multi-Sail 14 is a five-day Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15 led exercise that offers participating ships training in the primary mission areas of surface, air
Indian Coast Guard, being the coordinator of the Maritime Search and Rescue (M-SAR), conducted the 6th Search and Rescue Workshop and Exercise (SAREX-14) from 19 to 20 March 2014 in and around Mumbai. Events comprised of Search and Rescue (SAR) Workshop (Table Top Exercise) conducted on 19 March 2
The U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG 103) departed the Black Sea, on March 21. While in the region, Truxtun conducted port visits in Romania and Bulgaria, and executed training scenarios with both navies that included a Passing Exercise (PASSEX) at sea. The PASSEX, conducted w
Acting Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Ihor Tenyukh, said on Sunday that some Ukrainian military units would eventually be withdrawn from the Crimean peninsula. The decision follows a new turn of escalation of situation in the region on the heels of the referendum in Crimea. The Ukrainian Ministry
On March 15, a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment aboard her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Glace Bay, assigned to Joint Interagency Task Force South, patrolling the Caribbean Sea, identified the King Gold, a Panamanian-flagged fishing vessel suspected of smuggling drugs. The LEDET boarded
At the DIMDEX exhibition in Doha, Qatar (25-27 March 2014), MBDA is presenting for the first time ever a new coastal defence system based on the Marte missile family. The Marte Coastal Defence System (MCDS) guarantees maritime coastal traffic surveillance and interdiction to hostile ships in terri
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu assured U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel that Russian troops along the Russia-Ukraine border are there solely for exercise purposes and will not cross over into Ukrainian territory, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said yesterday (March 20).
Spanish Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) ‘Infanta Elena’ has just concluded her participation in the international exercise ‘Saharan Express’ intended to develop and strengthen the capabilities of African nations in the control of their own territorial waters and exclusive economic zones. The African
One of the key elements of the EU Naval Force’s counter-piracy operation in the waters of the Horn of Africa is the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA). These long-range, capable aircraft conduct aerial patrols over the sea areas where pirates are known to operate and can provide earl
After completing an Operation RESOLUTE deployment in Darwin, HMAS Ballarat commenced a fast transit down the West Coast towards Fleet Base West. Ballarat was in company with HMAS Success as they passed through one of the most important areas on Australia’s long coastline. The North West shelf reso
The U.S. 6th Fleet flagship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) arrived in her homeport of Gaeta, Italy, March 20, after a three-day underway, in which a number of drills and training scenarios were completed. Evolutions accomplished included basic and advanced damage control, steering casualties, helicopt
There must be consequences for Russia’s actions against Ukraine, the NATO secretary general said at the Brookings Institution yesterday. Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the think tank that “the only way for us to address these challenges is for Europe and North America to stand together.” Russia’s aggr
