March 9th Weekly Update

SHIP LOGS & OPERATIONS Ship & Group Locations Checked & Updated (March 3 to 9)

CHINA 14th ESCORT TASK FORCE (INDIAN OCEAN) (Mar 4-8) @ Karachi, Pakistan, PEACE-13 International Naval EX (Peoples Daily ) (Mar 3) @ Karachi, Pakistan (Peoples Daily ) PLAN Liaoning (Carrier) (Mar 7) May conduct Blue-Water Trials and continue Flight Deck Certs this year ( Peoples Daily ) FRANCE FS Chevalier Paul (Destroyer) (Mar 2-7) GULF FALCON 2013 Joint exercise with France & Qatar (Defense Ministry ) FS Mistral (LHD) (Feb 19 – 23) @ Pointe Noire, Republic of Congo ...currently on Corymbe Deployment (Defense Ministry ) FS Surcouf (Frigate) (Mar 1) @ Toulon, FR, Indian Ocean Deployment ENDS (Defense Ministry ) FS Tonnerre TF (Jeanne de Arc Task Force) (Mar 6) @ Atlantic, Begin Jeanne De Arc Deployment, heading to Portsmouth, UK ...ORBAT updated (Defense Ministry ) RUSSIA RFS Shaposhnikov Task Force (April) DDG Shaposhnikov ETA return to Vladivostok, Russia (Apr 14-18) DDG Shaposhnikov @ Busan, SK (Mar 26-30) DDG Shaposhnikov @ Langkawi, Malaysia (Mar 4) DDG Shaposhnikov @ Gulf of Aden, end patrol, begin return home (Rusnavy )(RIA Novosti ) UNITED KINGDOM HMCS Regina (Frigate) (Mar 4) @ Hawaii, currently deployed on Pacific patrol for 8-month HMS Argyll (Frigate) (Mar 7) @ Mindelo, Cape Verde for 3-days (Royal Navy ) HMS Defender (Destroyer) (Mar 4) off UK southern coast, Gunnery Trials (Royal Navy ) HMS Iron Duke (Frigate) (Mar 6) @ Portsmouth, UK, 11-month refit ends, crew back onboard (Royal Navy ) HMS Monmouth (Frigate) (Mar 7) @ Bahrain, Chief of Joint Operations visits (Royal Navy ) (Mar 4) @ Arabian Gulf, resume patrol after 2-weeks of Maintenance in Dubai (Royal Navy ) UNITED STATES USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) (Mar 1) @ Norfolk, preparing for SOUTHCOM “Continuing Promise 2013” Deployment (US Navy ) USS Eisenhower CSG (Mar 6) @ Alicante, Spain, CG & FFG port visit (US Navy ) (Mar 5) @ Mediterranean, CSG en route USS Frank Cable (AS-40) (Mar 1-3) @ Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia USS Gary & Thach (FFG) (Mar 4) DOD says budget constraints may require them to recall USS Gary and Thach from Caribbean anti-drug patrols (US Navy ) USS Kearsarge ARG (Mar 8) @ Atlantic, Deploy to 5th and 6th Fleet AOR (US Navy ) USS Lassen (DDG-82) (Mar 5) @ Yellow Sea, FOAL EAGLE 2013 w/ South Korea USS McCampbell (DDG-85) (Mar 4) @ Yellow Sea, FOAL EAGLE 2013 w/ South Korea (US Navy ) USS Olympia (SSN-717) (Mar 4) @ Pearl Harbor, WESTPAC Deployment ENDS (US Navy ) USS Stennis CSG (Mar 4) @ Arabian Sea, VFA-41 “Black Aces” providing direct air support for OEF Coalition Forces (US Navy ) USS Truman CSG (Mar 5) @ Atlantic, Radioactive Contamination Drill USS Vinson (CVN-70) (Mar 5) @ San Diego, NAS North Island, Mass Casualty Drill REGIONAL / OTHER – NAVAL LOGS NONE

GROUND UNITS, CONFLICTS & OPERATIONS LOGS US Ground units logs updated per DOD reports, up to (March 3 to 9)(DOD News Releases ) France, UK, Russia, China Army logs updated per various news releases and open sources

AFRICA MALI (Mar 2) 1st Paratrooper Regiment – KIA @ 50km S. of Tessalit while clearing rebel caches and sanctuaries (Defense Ministry ) (Feb 28) @ Kadji Island, French and Mali forces from Gao sweep island for rebels (Defense Ministry ) (Feb 25) French Garrison from Ivory Coast returns to Base @ Port Bouet, IC (Defense Ministry ) (Feb 12-22) FS PM Le Her (Frigate) escorts supply ship MN Eider from Rota, Spain to Dakar, Senegal (Defense Ministry ) AMERICAS FRENCH GUYANA (Feb 25) @ Maripasoula, Guyana, French Transport Squadron 68 assists Guyana Army, conducts medical evacuations of 2-civilians (Defense Ministry ) USA – EUROPE (Mar 1) DOD announces changes in US Army forces in Europe, including shifting of 173rd Airborne Brigade Battalions in Germany and Italy, inactivation of V Corp, 170th Brigade, 172nd Brigade, and several minor units (DOD ) USA – WESTPAC (Mar 4) FOAL EAGLE 2013 w/ South Korea ASIA / MIDDLE-EAST CHINA (Mar 5) 2013 Defense spending boosted 10.7% (RIA Novosti ) KOREA (Mar 8) NK annuals Non-Aggression pact with SK (RIA Novosti ) (Mar 6) UN Security Council passes added sanctions on NK (BBC ) LEBANON (Mar 7) USA says Hezbollah may have acquired chemical weapons RUSSIA (Mar 5) Chief of Staff Ivanov says Russia's army needs to expand to 1 million men (RIA Novosti ) (Feb 17-21) 12th GUMO holds large nuclear drill, testing the transport and deployment of strategic and tactical weapons near Europe SYRIA (Mar 5) @ Raqqa, Syrian AF fighters bomb city (BBC ) (Mar 4) @ Akashat, Iraq, 40-Syrian soldiers ambushed and killed; @ Raqqa, rebels capture city (BBC ) EUROPE FRANCE – CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC “Operation Boali” (Mar 3) 1st Infantry Regiment relieves the 8th Marine Parachute Regiment (Defense Ministry )

MAPPING UPDATES

Africa Atlantic Indian Ocean / WESTPAC Mali Mediterranean Syria