SHIP LOCATIONS:

• Ship & Group Locations Checked / Updated
• CITADEL PACIFIC expanded to include CITADEL SHIELD and Exercise SOLID CURTAIN (...currently ACTIVE)
• MALABAR 2012 currently active, no mention of INS Viraat (CV), removed from schedule, only Indian destroyers and frigates participating
• AFRICAN LION 2012 added to grid, USS Iwo Jima ARG participating

SHIP LOGS:

March 3

• FS Vendemiaire (FFG): visits China; Chinese officers visit ship to observe operations; PASSEX(?) with PLAAN Luoyang; observe Hong Kong police marine secruity team exercise boarding a suspect vessel; Fire training with Hong Kong fire service department

March 23

• FS Dixmunde (LHA): Joins Anti-Pirate patrol in Indian Ocean

April 7

• USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7): @ Agadir, Morocco, participating in AFRICAN LION EX (...an MV-22 Osprey crashes during EX, 2-killed, 2-injured)

April 10

• USS Chafee (DDG-90): PASSEX w/ Japanese navy DDG's in S. China Sea (...Chafee is part of the BHR/Essex-ARG)
• USS Simpson (FFG-56): port call @ Cape Verde, SECNAV visits ship (...Simpson is on EUCOM-APS Deployment)

April 11

• USS Cape St. George (CG-71): Gunnery EX in Arabian Sea (...St. George is part of the Lincoln CSG)
• USS Wasp (LHD-1): in Atlantic, en-route to FLEET WEEK events in Port Everglades, FL and New Orleans, LA (...oooooo can I go?)

April 12

• USS Connecticut (SSN-22): Returns to Bremerton, WA from 4-month WESTPAC deployment (...removed from schedule)

April 13

• RS Smetlivy (DDG): actively patrolling Syrian coast, may be replaced in May

GROUND UNITS:

• US Army / US Marine Unit KIAs updated by DOD Reports up to (4/12/2012)

NOTEWORTHY NEWS:
April 12^th

• AFGHANISTAN: French forces transferred control of FOB Surobi to Afghan national forces (...France is in the process of rapidly transitioning all their outlying FOBs to Afghan control, with the intent of leaving Afghanistan in the near term)

April 13

• GUINEA-BISSAU: Army stages coup, interim president and former PM arrested (...second West African coup in a month)