Training & Education
Estonia to host 2018 edition of international ordnance disposal drill Open Spirit
The Estonian naval forces are hosting this year’s edition of the international Baltic Sea ordnance disposal drill Open Spirit. The exercise is taking place from May 11 to 25 and will welcome 800 participants, the Estonian defense ministry announced following a January 23 planning conference which to
Harry S. Truman CSG clears hurdles before final pre-deployment drill
The US Navy’s Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group has completed the fleet synthetic training – group commander (FST-GC) exercise on January 19, clearing another hurdle before starting the final pre-deployment exercise – Comptuex. In addition to FST-GC, Harry S. Truman sailors completed the force pr
Canadian frigate HMCS Charlottetown wraps up six months of NATO operations
Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Charlottetown arrived at its Halifax homeport on January 19, wrapping up a six-month deployment with NATO’s Standing Maritime Group One (SNMG1). HMCS Charlottetown joined SNMG1 in August 2017, sailing in the Baltic Sea, Northern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean S
Australian Navy marks loss of WWII auxiliary minesweeper
Royal Australian Navy and Northern Territorry community marked the 75th anniversary of the sinking of HMAS Patricia Cam in World War II. Nine lives were lost when, on 22 January 1943, a Japanese seaplane bombed and sank the auxiliary minesweeper as it sailed from Milingimbi to Elcho Island on a supp
Major fire at Vladivostok submarine base is a “drill”, Russian Navy says
Video footage of smoke billowing near two submarines at the Russian submarine base in Vladivostok emerged on Sunday, but the navy says it is all part of a damage control exercise. According to Russian news agency Interfax, the press service of the Russian Pacific Fleet has denied earlier Russian med
US, France, Denmark, Germany help Royal Navy train for carrier strike group operations
The Royal Navy hosted a “multi-national fleet synthetic training group command exercise” recently at HMS Collingwood with the aim of preparing to work as part of a battlegroup with the country’s new aircraft carriers. Personnel from five Royal Navy ships took part in the latest validation exercise r
USS Theodore Roosevelt hosts Bahrain Navy chief during Persian Gulf drills
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) welcomed the commander of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force while underway in the Persian Gulf on January 16. Commodore Mohammed Yousif Al Asam and members of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force visited the ship while the Bahrain Navy frigate RBNS Sabha
USS Ross in live fire drills with Royal Moroccan Navy
The US Navy’s forward-deployed Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) joined Royal Moroccan Navy SIGMA frigate Tarek Ben Ziyad for a series of live fire exercises off the Moroccan coast. The drill took place after USS Ross departed Agadir, Morocco, January 13, after a scheduled port visit t
Canadian frigate HMCS St. John’s deploys to NATO SNMG1
Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigate HMCS St. John’s departed Naval Station Halifax on January 16 to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1. The bad weather delayed the frigate’s departure by two hours, but the crew are now en route to Europe where they will represent the Canadian contributi
Belgium takes the helm of SNMCMG1
The Belgian Navy is now in charge of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) after taking over from the Latvian Navy in a ceremony on January 15. Commander Peter Ramboer of the Belgian Navy relieved Latvian Commander Gvido Laudups in Zeebrugge, Belgium. Commander Laudups has led t
Norway hands over command of SNMG1 to Denmark
Norwegian Navy Commodore Petter Kammerhuber handed over command of the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) to his Royal Danish Navy counterpart, Commodore Søren Thinggaard Larsen, in a ceremony on January 15 in Bergen, Norway. SNMG1 has been under Norwegian command since January 2017, under the
US Navy Admiral visits Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth
US Navy Rear Admiral Patrick Piercey, US Pacific Command operations director, recently paid a visit to the Royal Navy’s carrier strike group commander Commodore Andrew Betton onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth. The Admiral was visiting the home base of the Royal Navy’s carriers as part of a wider UK visit
US Navy tests JAGM in AH-1Z helicopter flight
The US Navy announced it has recently completed its first Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) flight test on the AH-1Z helicopter at Patuxent River. During the flight which took place in December, aircrew aboard the AH-1Z navigated the missile through various operational modes and exercised its activ
USS Carney leaves Black Sea after ASW drill with Romania and Turkey
US Navy destroyer USS Carney exited the Black Sea on January 13 after making a port call in Ukraine and taking part in an anti-submarine warfare drill a Romanian frigate and a Turkish submarine. Carney spent a total of eight days in the Black Sea. “Our time in the Black Sea provided the opportunity