GEO-STRAT: May 5th Update

SHIP LOCATIONS:

Ship & Group Locations Checked / Updated (4/30 – 5/5)
FRONTIER SENTINEL 2012 Begins May 1^st; Canadian and US Navy Counter-Mine Exercise in Sydney Harbor

SHIP LOGS:

April 28

FS Dixmude (LHD): exits Op. Atalante anti-pirate patrol, begin transit to S. Africa
USS independence (LCS-2): departs Manzanillo, Mexico; PASSEX with ARM H.Galeana (FFG - Mexico)
Russian North Fleet: the Northern Fleet will send the Udaloy Class DDG Admiral Kulakov to the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden as part of it's Anti-piracy patrol committements; will relieve the Admiral Tributs; will arrive in early May; (...Kulakov Piracy TF currently in Mediterranean?)

April 30

May 1

HMS Diamond (DDG): Completes live fire test of main missile battery, ready to deploy within a couple weeks
HMS Dauntless (DDG): takes part in SAHARAN EXPRESS (April 26) off Senegal
USS Underwood (FFG-36): completes COMPTUEX w/ Eisenhower CSG, Begins SOUTHCOM Deployment

May 2

May 3

INS Viraat (CV): UK's Prince William tours ship during visit to Mumbai and the Western Naval Command HQ
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70): transits Bass Straits, Australia
USS Swift (HSV-2): visits Rota, Spain, begin Africa Patrol Station patrol
USS Underwood (FFG-36): in Caribbean Sea on SOUTH SEAS 2012 patrol
USNS Mercy (T-AH-19): Departs San Diego for PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP 2012

May 4

HMS Bulwark (LPD): arrives at Weymouth, begin 9-day military / civilian exercise for Olympics
HMS Ocean (LHD): sails up the Thames River, London, begin 9-day military / civilian exercise for Olympics
USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19): visiting Sihanoukville, Cambodia
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70): in Pacific, returning home
USS Halsey (DDG-97): visits Brisbane, Australia (arrival date unknown ...currently on WESTPAC deployment)
USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7): visits Aqaba, Jordan
USS Tripoli (LHA-7): SECNAV Mabus names the new assualt ship (...add USS America and Tripoli to SHIP LOGS, USS America ETA delivery to fleet in 2013; USS Tripoli ETA delivery to fleet no later than 2016)

May 5

USS Hue City (CG-66): identified as part of Eisenhower CSG, escort list updated
USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79): identified as part of Eisenhower CSG (...the escort list is very large, I'm expecting at least two to not deploy as part of the group)

GROUND UNITS:

Ground units locations updated per DOD reports, up to (May 4th)
7^th Special Forces Group, 2^nd Battalion, verified in Khandahar, Afghanistan via KIA reports
French Battle Group Tiger in Afghanistan sweeps Afghanya and Ghain valleys with Afghan Army Kandak Battalion 33 on (4/25-26) for weapon caches
<A new Ground Units Log is being created, will upload when complete)

NOTEWORTHY NEWS:

May 2

CHINA: Japan says three PLAAN warships (2-FFG, 1-Intel) transited Kagoshima Straits and sailed into Pacific Ocean on (4/30)
ISRAEL: IDF activates 6-reserve battalions for duty on Sinai and Syria borders, citing security needs (Times of Israel)
NORTH KOREA: SK government says eight or nine NK subs went off radar shortly after Pyongyang threatens “special action” against Seoul (Korea Joongang Daily)

May 3

AFGHANISTAN: US and Afghanistan sign agreement allowing US military presence in the country for possibly 12-years (World Tribune)
ISRAEL: Israeli Navy receives a fourth Dolphin submarine from Germany, is nuclear capable, plans to receive up to six (Haaretz)
RUSSIA: Russian General Staff says Russia does not exclude preeemptive uses of weapons against NATO missile defense systems in Europe if they consider it a threat (Ria Novosti)

May 4

SERBIA: Serbian military officials warn that an outbreak of violence may occur in Kosovo during the Serbian elections next Sunday (UPI)

GEO-STRAT