February 2nd Weekly Update

SHIP LOGS & OPERATIONS:

Ship & Group Locations Checked & Updated (January 27 to February 2)

SHIP LOGS:

GABIAN EX 2013 (Defense Ministry )

• (Jan 28 – Feb 1, 2013)
• NATO French / Italian Naval Exercise in Mediterranean
• Participating Units...
  • DDG – FS Jean de Vienne
  • DDG – FS Jean Bart
  • FFG – FS La Fayette
  • FFG – FS C. Birot
  • FFG – FS EV Jacoubet
  • FFG – ITS Libeccio
  • MCM – FS Lyre
  • MCM – FS Orion
  • MCM – FS Pluton
  • Supply – FS Meuse

FS Chevalier Paul (DDG)

• (Jan 28) @ Arabian Gulf, Escort USS Stennis
• (Jan 23-28) @ Abu Dhabi, UAE, visited by UAE Chief of Staff (Defense Ministry )

FS Dixmude (LHD)

• (Jan 28) @ Dakar, Senegal, offload GTIA-2 for Mali deployment

HMS Dauntless (DDG)

• (Feb 8-11) Visiting Great Yarmouth, UK (Royal Navy )

INS Vikramaditya (CV)

• (Feb 1) Engine repairs completed (RIA Novosti )

PLAN (N. Fleet)

• (Feb 2) 3-warships deploy to patrol S. China Sea (ABS-CBN News )

RUSSIAN TASK FORCE TO SYRIA

• (Jan 31) @ Limosal, Cyprus, Naval EX in Mediterranean and Black Sea ends (Rusnavy )

RFS Vladivostok

• (Feb 1) Commander of Russian Navy attends keel laying ceremony in France (RIA Novosti )

USS BH Richard ARG-Forward

• (Jan 30) @ E. China Sea, LSD-Tortuga & 31^st MEU completes AIT (US Navy ); BHR departs Okinawa (US Navy )
• (Jan 27) @ Okinawa, US Consul General visits crew of BHR (US Navy )

USS Boxer (ESG-3)

• (Jan 28) @ San Diego, begin EXER DAWN BLITZ 2013 with 1^st Marine Exped. Brigade (US Navy )

USS Cheyenne (SSN-773)

• (Feb 1) @ Subic Bay, Philippines (US Navy )

USS Kearsarge ARG

• (Jan 28) @ Atlantic, ARG begins COMPTUEX (US Navy )(US Navy )(US Navy ) ...EST Deployment in March, 2013

USS La Jolla (SSN-701)

• (Jan 25) @ Pearl Harbor, HA, deployment ends

USS Olympia (SSN-717)

• (Feb 2) @ Singapore (US Navy )

USS San Francisco (SSN-771)

• (Feb 1) Participating in SK naval drill (IB Times )
• (Jan 31) @ Changwon, SK ...currently on WESTPAC patrol

USS Shiloh (CG-67)

• (Jan 30) @ Busan, SK for AEGIS Interoperability training for joint USA / ROK forces

USS Stennis CSG

• (Jan 23-24) @ Arabian Gulf, US Ambassador, Italian and French Ambassador to Bahrain visits (US Navy )

GROUND UNITS LOGS & OPERATIONS:

US Ground units logs updated per DOD reports, up to (January 27 to February 2) (DOD News Releases )

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

LOG UPDATES:

AFGHANISTAN

• (Jan 31) III CORP-HQ – DEPLOYING in Spring'13
• (Feb 1) 3^rd Infantry Division, 4^th Brigade – DEPLOYING this February for 9-months
• (Jan 31) 10^th Mountain Division, 10^th CAB – DEPLOYING this Spring (WWNYTV )

EGYPT – NEWS

• (Jan 29) Army Chief warns of collapse of the state due to crisis (BBC )

IRAN (Arab-Israeli Conflict)

• (Jan 30 – Feb 2) FATH 91 EX begins testing IRGC-Marines, AAA, Naval patrol and missile units in Persian Gulf (RIA Novosti )
• (Jan 29) Fordo Nuclear Facility said crippled by explosions and fire (YNET )
• (Jan 27) Kissinger says nuclear crisis with Iran coming (BBC )

KOSOVO

• (Jan 31) NATO Secretary says situation improved in 2012, but issues in N. still need to be resolved, planning to turn Serb heritage sites over to Kosovo police, no plans to reduce troop strength (6,000) (B92 )

LEBANON (Arab-Israeli Conflict)

• (Jan'13) IDF-Navy intercepts ship containing advanced weapons (including anti-aircraft missiles) enroute to Lebanon (WND )

MALI

(Feb 2) @ Timbuktu, French President Hollande visits (Yahoo )

(Jan 31) UPDATE... (Defense Ministry )

• @ Timbuktu, Airport repairs completed
• @ Gao, 2-battalions from Niger and Mali arrive
• Logistics convoys from Bamako to Gao are secure and active

(Jan 30) UPDATE... (Defense Ministry )

• French forces capture Kidal in overnight air assault (BBC )
• French air strikes continue north of Kidal
• Togolese troops patrol San and Mopti
• Burkina Faso troops controlling Markala bridge

(Jan 29) UPDATE... (Defense Ministry )

• UK preparing to deploy 330-troops to Mali Operation to train Mali army (BBC )
• French 17^th Engineering Regiment parachute in, clears and reactivates the Timbuktu airport
• Nigerian battalion takes up positions in Ansongo

(Jan 28) UPDATE... (BBC )(Defense Ministry )(Defense Ministry )

• French (3^rd Parachute Regiment and 21^st Marine Infantry Regiment) and Mali troops capture Timbuktu, regain control of main road from Niger to Gao and Timbuktu
• FS Dixmude (LHD) offloads GTIA-2, 1^st Marine Infantry and 92^nd Infantry Regiment equipment at Dakar, Senegal

RUSSIA – ARMENIA

• (Feb 1) Russia and Armenia in talks to establish joint defense enterprises under the CSTO (RIA Novosti )

RUSSIA – KAZAKHSTAN

• (Jan 30) Russia and Kazakhstan sign military agreement to create joint regional air defense system (RIA Novosti )

S. CHINA SEA

• (Feb 2) China deploys 3-warships to patrol Spratleys (ABS-CBN News )
• (Feb 2) Taiwan installs telecom system on Taiping for it's Coast Guard post (GMA Network )

SYRIA (Arab-Israeli Conflict / Arab Spring)

• (Jan 30) IDF-AF jets bomb unknown targets on Lebanese-Syrian border (Israel Today ); rumored convoy of missiles and weapons transferring to Hezbollah units in Lebanon (Debka )
• (Jan 28) Syria says civil war would be won in 2-weeks if foreign support was halted (RIA Novosti )
• (Jan 27) Israel warns of possible preemptive strike on Syrian chemical weapons (CBS )
• (Jan 25) Convoy in Syrian Golan blown up, Iranian and Hezbollah personnel killed (Debka )

UK – FALKLANDS ISLANDS

• (Feb 1) Argentina pulls out of talks over Falklands Islands when UK insists Islanders representatives participate (Telegraph )

USA – AFRICOM

• (Jan 28) US planning to set up drone base in Africa, possibly Niger (FOX News )