US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86) returned to its homeport of Naval Station Everett, Wash., November 21. While on deployment Shoup supported the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) and participated in exercise Valiant Shield 2018. OMSI is a secretary of defense initiative
A US Navy carrier strike group centered around the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) arrived in Hong Kong for a scheduled port visit on November 21. The arrival of Ronald Reagan to Hong Kong follows China’s refusal to allow amphibious assault ship USS Wasp to visit the city in September th
The US State Department has approved a possible sale of eight Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block 1B missiles and thirteen SM-3 Block 2A missiles to Japan for an estimated cost of $561 million. In an announcement on November 19, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the contract also included
Two days after leaving her construction site in Maine, US Navy’s stealth destroyer Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) met with Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) for a photo exercise in the Atlantic Ocean. Joining the two on November 11 were Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer US
US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) completed a four-month patrol in the US 6th Fleet area of operations, returning to Naval Station Rota, Spain, November 17. Carney departed Rota July 27, 2018, and began its fifth Forward-Deployed Naval Force patrol in Europe and Africa. “From Va
Qatari Emiri Naval Forces recently completed Eastern Sailor 19, an exercise conducted annually with the US Navy and US Coast Guard. Eastern Sailor 19 is an annual, bilateral surface exercise between the US Navy and the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces serving to expand levels of cooperation between the two
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Melbourne has wrapped up six months of operations in the Pacific and Nort East Asian regions and has returned to her homeport at Garden Island Sydney. According to the ship’s commanding officer, Commander Marcus Buttler, the deployment was a great success as the sh
US Navy ships from the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group (CSG), along with other Norfolk-based cruiser-destroyer (CRUDES) units, completed a “Live Fire With A Purpose” (LFWAP) missile exercise (MSLEX) off the East Coast earlier this month. As explained by the navy, the LFWAP program
The Polish Navy’s 95-meter offshore patrol vessel ORP Slazak got underway from Gdynia to start her first sea trials, 17 years after construction on the ship got underway. The Polish Navy hopes to receive the vessel by March 2019 when acceptance trials are expected to be completed and the vessel hand
The MBDA-developed Marte ER anti-ship missile has successfully completed its first firing, the French company has said. The missile passed this major phase in its development in a trial that was carried out on November 9 in an Italian test range. According to MBDA, the Marte ER missile flew for more
South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Engineering (DSME) announced on November 14 it has been awarded a contract to build the fifth and sixth second-batch Daegu-class frigates for the Republic of Korea Navy. Also referred to as FFX II, the frigates are an improved version of the Incheon-c
US Navy destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) returned to Naval Station Norfolk on November 11, completing a seven-month deployment to the Navy’s US 6th Fleet area of responsibility. The ship operated as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) and also conducted independent operations in
The US Navy’s annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) maritime exercise kicked off at Muara Naval Base, Brunei, November 12. The CARAT exercise series is conducted every year by the US Navy. The evolution in Brunei started after similar engagements concluded in Indonesia, Malaysia a
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri held a keel laying ceremony for the third Italian Navy multipurpose patrol ship at its Riva Trigoso shipyard on November 8. The third Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura (PPA) ship will also be the first in a “Light+” configuration. It is expected to be launched in 202