Training & Education
UK Trainee Aviators Practice at Sea Flights
British trainee aviators have been trying to find their sea legs during a six week training exercise to see if they have got what it takes to fly at sea. The trainee aircrew from 824 Naval Air Squadron are about to be awarded with their Wings – but only if they pass the final, and most […]
Swedish Navy Corvette Visits Lithuania
Swedish Navy’s Visby class corvette HMS Karlstad departed for an official visit to Klaipeda, Lithuania yesterday, Oct 7. The visit has the aim of supporting Swedish interests and promoting good ties between nations. The ship will be the site of a bilateral meeting between Swedish Defense Minister Pe
UK Divers Show Skills in NATO’s Northern Challenge
A team of Royal Navy Clearance Divers have blasted their way through a highly-charged NATO exercise in Iceland – demonstrating their explosive expertise. The team of 12 bomb disposal operatives from Southern Diving Group joined around 200 Tri-Service colleagues from 14 NATO and Partner for Peace nat
SNMG2 Sails into Port of Barcelona
Over the weekend, the ships of Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2) entered the port of Barcelona, Spain, for a routine port visit, following a period of support to the counter-terrorism Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR (OAE). SNMG2 currently consists of the flagship German frigate FGS HAMBURG, the Tu
HMS Ocean Prepares for Exercise Corsican Lion
Royal Navy Fleet flagship HMS Ocean has arrived in Toulon, France, for final preparations ahead of Exercise Corsican Lion. The exercise, part of the Royal Navy’s Cougar 15 deployment, provides an ideal opportunity to showcase the ship’s role as an amphibious assault ship. HMS Ocean carries the UK’s
SNMG1 to Show Its Skills in JOINT WARRIOR
Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), led by Portuguese Navy Rear Admiral Alberto Correia, recently departed from three different ports in Scotland for the sea phase of the UK-led Exercise JOINT WARRIOR 15-2. While the scenario of JOINT WARRIOR is fictitious, the importance of realistic and effect
Trident Juncture 2015 Underway
Exercise Trident Juncture 2015, NATO’s biggest and most ambitious exercise in over a decade, started on October 3 in Mons, Belgium. Military and civilian Staff of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, reinforced by augmenting personnel from various commands throughout NATO, launched the Command Post
US Osprey Lands on HMS Ocean
A US Marine Corps Osprey has landed on the flight deck of HMS Ocean for the first time in over five years. The landing was the first step in demonstrating the partnership between the amphibious helicopter platform and the US Marines Corps (USMC) ahead of the major NATO exercise, Trident Juncture, wh
Spanish Navy Wraps Up SEABORDER 15
Spanish Navy’s offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Vigía has participated in the maritime security exercise ‘SEABORDER 15’ in Portuguese waters, as part of the schedule of events of the 5+5 Defense Initiative. The exercise was organized by Portugal, Italy and Spain. The first part of the exercise took plac
MARCOM Hosts JMSDF Chief of Staff
The commander of NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), Vice Admiral Peter Hudson, welcomed Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) Chief of Staff Admiral Tomohisa Takei and his staff to MARCOM headquarters recently. The officials gathered for a briefing on NATO operations and discuss opportunit
Prince of Wales at the Start of Joint Warrior
His Royal Highness (HRH) the Prince of Wales joined thousands of international service personnel for the start of the UK-led military exercise Joint Warrior. Joint Warrior is a multinational exercise linked to the NATO exercise program. It is hosted in the UK and is one of the largest tri-service an
Exercise Northern Coasts 2015 Concludes
NATO ships assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) and Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group One (SNMCMG1) have completed their participation in Exercise NORTHERN COASTS 2015 on Sept. 29. Surface ships, a submarine, and several air assets from 16 different nations successfully compl
Largest British Warships to Lead Cougar 15
Two of the Royal Navy’s largest warships have set sail from Plymouth to lead the Royal Navy’s Cougar 15 Deployment. HMS Ocean deployed with Royal Marines from 45 Commando and Merlin, Apache and Chinook helicopters from the Fleet Air Arm, Army Air Corps and RAF, where the Navy’s helicopter carrier wi
Canadian Navy Ships Head for European Coasts
Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Halifax departed Norfolk, Virginia, September 21, 2015, to join HMC ships Athabaskan and Montréal, as well as United States Naval Ships William McLean and United States Ship The Sullivans. The ships are currently transiting the North Atlantic Ocean and will be cond