August 25th Weekly Update

SHIP LOGS & EXERCISES:

Ship & Group Locations Checked & Updated (August 19-25)

• PANAMAX 2012 ended (August 17) at Mayport, FL (US Navy )
• SUMMER STORM 2012 ended (August 19) in Black Sea
• NORTHERN EAGLE 2012 Begins (August 21) in North Sea / Barents Sea
• NATO Amphibious Exercise will begin in (August) in Mediterranean, date TBA, HMS Illustrious and FS C.D. Gaulle tasked to participate

RFS Adm. Panteleyev (DDG)

• (August 19) en-route to Maizuru, Japan after completing RIMPAC 2012, will arrive (August 28) (ITAR-TASS )

USNS Mercy (T-AH-19)

• (August 20) arrives at Guam, offloading supplies and personnel (US Navy )

USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19)

• (August 20) departs Busan, SK following 3-day visit (US Navy )

USS BH Richard ARG (LHD-6)

• (August 20) arrives at Okinawa, Japan ...update schedule, WESTPAC patrol ETA begin in 3-4 days
• (August 21) USS Tortuga (LSD-46) at Okinawa, Japan on-loading vehicles and equipment
• (August 22) 31^st MEU embark ships starting (August 20) (US Navy ); Marine contingent includes members of the Japanese JGSDF (US Navy )

USS Columbus (SSN-762)

• (August 23) Returns to Hawaii, WESTPAC deployment ends (US Navy )

USS Eisenhower CSG (CVN-69)

• (August 20) USS Winston Churchill (DDG-81) aided the bulk carrier MV Belde 110 miles SE of Socotra Island, Oman, after experiencing a cargo handling accident (US Navy )
• (August 22) USS Dunham (DDG-109) departs Souda Bay, Greece (US Navy )

USS Farragut (DDG-99)

• (August 21) begin NORTHERN EAGLE 2012

USS Ft. McHenry (LSD-43)

• (August 19) departed Constanta, Romania, completed exercise SUMMER STORM 2012 ...currently on EUCOM patrol (US Navy )

USS George Washington CSG (CVN-73)

• (August 20) departed Yokosuka, Japan ...currently on WESTPAC patrol (US Navy )
• (August 22) Japanese officials visit the carrier at sea (US Navy )

USS J. Stennis CSG (CVN-74)

• (August 23) CSG will deploy Monday (August 27) for 8-months ...schedule and ORBAT updated (US Navy )

USS Mt. Whitney (LCC-20)

• (August 19) departs Theoule-sur-Mer, France (US Navy )

USS Olympia (SSN-717)

• (August 20) arrives in Yokosuka, Japan ...currently on WESTPAC patrol (US Navy )

USS Swift (HSV-2)

• (August 24) departs Lagos Nigeria after 1-week visit (US Navy )

GROUND UNITS LOGS & EXERCISES:

US Ground units logs updated per DOD reports, up to (August 13-25) (DOD News Releases )

France, UK, Russia, China Army logs updated per various news releases and open sources

• KAVKAZ-2012: (September 17-23), upcoming Russian Army Ex in Caucasus

RUSSIA

• Nitka Training Facility: Russia and the Ukraine renegotiated the lease agreement to allow the Russians to continue using it for naval pilot training, and opening the base up to use by third parties and other aircraft types, in return for monetary payment (RIA Novosti )
• (August 22) Germany welcomes the resumption of 5+1 peace talks in Moldova over the Transdneistre conflict ...Russia has a Motor Rifle Division deployed to Transdneistre, and is working to establish advanced air defense bases there in the Russian-speaking enclave (ITAR-TASS )

UK

• 40 Commando finishing 12-months of training, preparing for deployment to Afghanistan (August 22) (Royal Navy )

USA

• (August 24) US Army announces units planned to rotate into Afghanistan this winter, 2012 (US DOD )
• 2^nd Infantry Division, 2^nd Stryker Brigade – KIA @ Kandahar, Afghanistan (August 18)
• 2^nd Infantry Division, 3^rd Stryker Brigade – KIA @ Panjwa'l, Afghanistan (August 16)
• 2^nd Infantry Division, 3^rd Stryker Brigade – KIA @ Kandahar, Afghanistan (August 22)
• 3^rd Marine Division, 3^rd Regiment – KIA @ Helmand, Afghanistan (August 10)
• 25^th Infantry Division, 25^th Aviation Brigade – KIA @ NE of Kandahar, Afghanistan (August 16)
• 173^rd Airborne Brigade – KIA @ Charkh, Afghanistan (August 15)
• 173^rd Airborne Brigade – KIA @ Wardak Province, Afghanistan (August 17)

NOTEWORTHY NEWS:

IRAN

• (August 21) With Iran's continued threats to destroy Israel, and US General Martin Dempsey remarking that the nuclear program can't be destroyed, only delayed, quiet speculation suggests Israel may consider assassinating Iranian leaders (Debka )

ISRAEL

• (August 20) Israel deploys the Iron Dome anti-rocket defense system at the Red Sea port city of Eilat (RIA Novosti )

RUSSIA

• (August 22) Russia says if it's naval base in Syria at Tartus were attacked, it would evacuate it (Debka )

SYRIA

• (August 20) Turkey urges the UN to create buffer zone in N. Syria for refugees (RIA Novosti )
• (August 22) a Turkish military convoy was hit by several bombs near the Iraqi-Syrian-Turkish border; Turkey claims the Kurdish PKK did it; Iran says Turkey's support for Syrian rebels may have contributed (Debka )

UK

• (August 20) The Royal Navy unveiled the latest design for the new Type-26 Frigate “Global Combat Ship”, which will fully replace the aging Type-23 Frigates after 2020. Thirteen Frigates are planned to be built. (Royal Navy )

USA

• (August 21) Boeing wins a contract to supply 22 AH-64 Apache gunships to India, beating out Russia's MI-28 Night Hunter. The deal includes advanced AN/APG-78 fire control radars, Hellfire anti-tank missiles, and Stinger AA missiles (RIA Novosti )
• (August 22) The Chief of Naval Operations established a board of 4-Navy Admirals known as the LCS Council to oversee the continued fleet testing and introduction of littoral combat ship sea frames, mission modules and mission packages (US Navy )