February 16th Weekly Update

SHIP LOGS & OPERATIONS Ship & Group Locations Checked & Updated (February 10 to February 16)

CHINA PLAN (Feb 15) PLAN flotilla returns to port after training in S. China Sea FRANCE FS Surcouf (Frigate) (Feb 4-7) @ Seychelles, Conduct joint training with Seychelles special forces on anti-pirate ship boarding (Defense Ministry ) FS Tonnerre (LHD) (Feb 5-7) @ Mediterranean, SPARTAN Amphibious Group training, preparing for upcoming Jean de Arc deployment (Defense Ministry ) RUSSIA RUSSIAN TASK FORCE TO SYRIA (Feb 9) @ Novorossiysk, LST Kaliningrad and A. Shabalin offloading Marines and air assault troops, completed delivering equipment to Tartus, Syria during Naval Ex, returning to Baltisk (Rusnavy.com ) UNITED KINGDOM HMS Bulwark (LPD) (Feb 12) @ Atlantic, SW coast, UK, Amphibious EX HMS Dauntless (Destroyer) (Feb 12) @ Atlantic, en-route to Newcastle, training with 702 NAS (Royal Navy ) HMS Defender (Destroyer) (Mar 21) @ Portsmouth, UK, Commisioning (Feb 15-18) @ Northumbria Quay, UK HMS Illustrious (Carrier) (Feb 14-18) @ Liverpool, UK HMS Montrose (Frigate) (Feb 13) @ Atlantic off Devon, UK, in 3rd week of BOST 8-week training, preparing for deployment this year (Royal Navy ) HMS Somerset (Frigate) (Feb 12) @ Plymouth Sound, training with 814 NAS (Royal Navy ) UNITED STATES USS Albuquerque (SSN-706) (Feb 13) @ Yokosuka, Japan, currently on WESTPAC deployment (US Navy ) USS BH Richard ARG-Forward (Feb 10) @ Gulf of Thailand, Exercise COBRA GOLD 2013 (US Navy ) USS Boxer (ESG-3) (Feb 4-15) @ off San Clemente Island, host IRON FIST 2013 with 13th MEU and Japanese troops, raid island (US Navy ) USS Gary (FFG-51) (Feb 10) @ Casco Antiguo, Panama (US Navy ) USS Nimitz CSG (Feb 11) @ Everett, WA, CSG-11 Change of Command ceremony (US Navy ) USS Roosevelt (CVN-71) (Feb 13) Overhaul completion could be delayed by budget cuts (Daily Press ) (Feb 10) Begin onloading JP-5 aviation fuel (US Navy ) USS Stennis CSG (Feb 1) @ Jebel Ali, Dubai, 4-day visit (US Navy ) USS Vinson (CVN-70) (Feb 11) @ Pacific, begin carrier qualifications (US Navy ) USS Wasp (LHD-1) (Feb 11) @ Norfolk, VA, preparing for Afloat Training Group light off assessment for it main boilers in April (US Navy ) REGIONAL / OTHER – NAVAL LOGS None Noted

GROUND UNITS, CONFLICTS & OPERATIONS LOGS US Ground units logs updated per DOD reports, up to (February 10 to February 16)(DOD News Releases ) France, UK, Russia, China Army logs updated per various news releases and open sources

AFRICA MALI (Feb 15) Mali plans to hold presidential elections July 7th (Yahoo ) (Feb 13) Islamist groups begin using guerrilla insurgency tactics against French and AU forces (STRATFOR) (Feb 11) @ Gao, Mali troops hunt Islamist militants in house-to-house running battles (BBC ) (Feb 9) @ Tessalit, French Combat Engineers airdrop in, begin rehabilitation of the airstrip (Defense Ministry ) AMERICAS USA – PACOM / WESTPAC – JAPAN (Feb 10) @ Thailand, BHR-ARG an MV Cpt. SL Bennett (T-AK-4296) in COBRA GOLD 2013 EX (US Navy ) (US Navy ) ASIA / MIDDLE-EAST AFGHANISTAN (Feb 15) US Army may have to extend deployments due to lack of trained replacement brigades after budget cut (Yaoo ) (Feb 12) UK announces HERRICK-18 units to deploy ...ORBAT updated (UK Gov ) KOREA (Feb 12) NK tests small nuclear device (Fox News ) PACIFIC RIM – E. CHINA SEA (Feb 15) PLAN flotilla returns to port after training in S. China Sea SYRIA (Feb 11) Syrian rebels seize the Tabqa Dam on the Euphrates River, which supplies power to Aleppo (BBC ) EUROPE NO UPDATES

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