GEO-STRAT: June 1st Update

SHIP LOCATIONS:

Ship & Group Locations Checked / Updated (6/1)
BALTOPS 2012: NATO Naval exercise begins (June 1), Russian LST Kaliningrad participating

SHIP LOGS:

May 27

USS Nimitz (CVN-68): arrives at San Fransisco to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge

May 28

May 29

RS Kuznetsov (CV): The russian hockey league (VHL) is planning to hold a match onboard the country's only active carrier, date not yet determined, but one of the teams will be the navy team from St. Petersburg, Russia
USS Pearl Harbor (LSD-52): at Cebu, Philippines
USS Underwood (FFG-36): ends UNITAS on May 25 at Callao, Peru; begins 3-day US / Peru SIFOREX 2012 (May 25-28)
ESG Forward Group (CARAT): group arrives @ Surabaya, Indonesia for the CARAT Indonesian phase

May 30

May 31

RFA Fort Rosali (Support): visits Havana, Cuba
HMS Dauntless (DDG): visited Freetown, Sierra Leone
HNLMS Evertsen (FFG): preparing for deployment with NATO-SNMG-1
RS Kaliningrad (LST): leaves Baltiisk, Kalinigrad for NATO naval exercise BALTOPS

June 1

RS Smetlivy (DDG): returns to Black Sea Fleet homeport Sevastopol (was deployed in E. Mediterranean)
USS Curts (FFG-38): departs for final deployment to 4^th Fleet AOR
USS New Orleans (LPD-18): arrives at Sasebo, Japan
USS Taylor (FFG-50): assist Yemeni dhow in Arabian Sea (May19-21)

GROUND UNITS LOGS:

Ground units locations updated per DOD reports, up to (May 31)
JOINT ANTI-TERROR EXERCISE: in Colorado ends, Russian contingent returns home
French Army BG Steel in Afghanistan assists Afghan Army in security sweep of Joybar and Surobi (May 19-21)
UK 40 Commando – training for upcoming Afghanistan deployment
UK The Royal Anglian Regiment, 1^st Battalion – seizes large cache of insurgent drugs and explosives in Nad Ali' District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan
US III MEF, 5^th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Co. - KIA @ Helmand Province, Afghanistan
US 1^st Marine Division (Forward), RCT-6, 8^th Regiment, 1^st Battalion – KIA @ Sangin District, Helmand Prov, Afghanistan
US 2^nd Infantry Division, 2^nd Stryker Brigade, 23^rd Regiment – KIA @ Zharay, Afghanistan
US 2^nd Marine Division, 8^th Marine Regiment, 1^st Battalion – KIA @ Helmand Province, Afghanistan
US 4^th Infantry Division, 4^th Brigade, 61^st Cavalry Regiment – KIA @ Bati Kot, Afghanistan
US 12^th Aviation Brigade (Forward: Germany) – KIA @ Kabul, Afghanistan
US 82^nd Airborne Division, 4^th Brigade, 4^th Squadron – KIA @ Zharay, Afghanistan

NOTEWORTHY NEWS:

RUSSIA: Teikovo Ballistic Missile Site is planning to install devices on their mobile ICBM vehicles to erase their tracks, making detection more difficult
RUSSIA: Russia is planning on reactivating and expanding various air and army assets in the artic

Novaya Zemlya AB will reopen this summer
Natyan-Mar AB will reopen this summer
Graham Bell Island AB will reopen next year
Two Army Artic Brigades will be stationed at Murmansk or Archangelsk, the first Motor Rifle Artic Brigade is planned to deploy in 2015
A Combined-Arms Force, including Military, Border and Coast Guard units, will deploy by 2020

SYRIA: US and Turkey expel Syrian diplomats, but US remains opposed to military action, warnings continue to be sounded that Syria is approaching a full blown civil war; US State Department continues to pressure Russia to end it's support and/or take action (...French President Hollande is also resistant to military action. Rumors of various plans to deal with Syria include the stationing of 5,000 troops, mostly Russian, at Syria's NBC bases to prevent their pillaging by Al Qaeda.)

GEO-STRAT