April 13 Weekly update

WORLD SUPERPOWER NAVAL OPERATIONS AND UPDATES (April 7 - 13)

CHINA PLA-NAVY / DIAOYU ISLANDS (Apr 9) PLAN surveillance ships Haijian 26, 50 & 66 patrolling Diaoyu Islands (People's Daily ) 13th ESCORT TASK FORCE (Apr 9) 13th ETF @ Casablanca, Morocco (Peoples Daily ) (Apr 3) 13th ETF @ Algiers, Algeria (People's Daily )(People's Daily ) FRANCE FS Mistral (LHD) (Apr 9) @ Mid-Atlantic, Gunnery and deck landing exercises with FS LV Henaff (FFG) and HMS Argyll (FFG) (Royal Navy ) RUSSIA BLACK SEA FLEET (Apr 12) @ Constanta, Romania, BLACKSEAFOR Phase-2 Begins (Apr 9) @ Varna, Bulgaria, BLACKSEAFOR Phase-1 Begins (3-day at sea) (Apr 5-23) @ Varna, Bulgaria, BLACKSEAFOR Exercise begins (RIA Novosti ) PARTICIPANTS: BULGARIA – Reshitelni (Corvette) GEORGIA – Sukhumi (Coastal Patrol) ROMANIA – Macelariu (Corvette) RUSSIA – Novocherkassk (Ropucha-1 class Landing Ship) TURKEY – Heybeliada (Corvette) UKRAINE – Cherkassy (Minesweeper) MEDITERRANEAN TASK FORCE (Apr 12) Severomorsk TF joins MTF patrol; next week Black Sea Fleet ships will join (RIA Novosti ) LST – Azov (Rophucha-II class Landing Ship) (Apr 6) @ Strait of Malaca, enter Indian Ocean, ETA in AOR in Mid May (RIA Novosti ) (Apr 5) Pacific Fleet sends ships for MTF in March (RIA Novosti ) DDG – Adm. Panteleyev LST – Peresvet LST – Adm. Nevelsky Supply – Pechenga Tug – Fotiy Krylov NORTH FLEET (Apr 11) DDG-Severomorsk TF @ Gulf of Aden, finishing Anti-Piracy TF duties, preparing to return home (Rusnavy ) UNITED KINGDOM HMS Argyll (Frigate) (Apr 9) @ Mid-Atlantic, Gunnery and deck landing exercises with FS Mistral (LHD) and LV Henaff (FFG) (Royal Navy) HMS Bulwark (LPD) (Apr 15-29) EX JOINT WARRIOR 2013 (MOD) (Apr 12) @ Angus Beach, Scotland, 42 Commando stages amphibious exercise (Scotsman ) (Apr 11) @ Devonport, UK, depart for Exercise JOINT WARRIOR (Royal Navy ) HMS Monmouth (Frigate) (Apr 11) @ Arabian Gulf, EX with Kuwaiti patrol ship Al-Ahmadi (MOD ) (Apr 8) @ Kuwait, visit by Kuwait Staff College (Royal Navy ) HMS Sutherland (Frigate) (Apr 15-29) EX JOINT WARRIOR 2013 (MOD) (Apr 11) @ Devonport, UK, depart for Exercise JOINT WARRIOR (Royal Navy) HMS St. Albans (Frigate) (Apr 12) @ Anglesey, UK (Royal Navy ) UNITED STATES USS BH Richard ARG (Apr 10) LSD-Tortuga @ E. China Sea, launching LCU for Ex BALIKITAN 2013 (Apr 6) @ Subic Bay, USMC MV-22B Ospreys ferry materials ashore in preparation for Ex. BALIKATAN 2013 (Apr 4) LSD-Tortuga @ Manila, Philippines, visit orphanage (US Navy ) USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93) (Apr 2) @ Pacific, enter 7th Fleet AOR (US Navy ) USS Cheyenne (SSN-773) (Apr 9) @ Guam to conduct Liberty & Maintenance USS Cowpens (CG-63) (Apr 8) @ San Diego, returned from Japan forward deployment, was hull swapped with Antietam (CG-54) (US Navy ) USS Eisenhower CSG (Apr 8) @ N. Arabian Sea, F/A-18 Super Hornet crashed into the water, aircrew rescued (US Navy ) USS Emory S. Land (AS-39) (Apr 5) @ Olongapo, Philippines USS Freedom (LCS-1) EST NEXT – CARAT (various Phases) EST NEXT – @ Singapore, IMDEX 2013 (Apr 9) @ Manilla, Philippines for rest & refuel USS Gary (FFG-51) (Apr 5) @ San Diego, returns from 4th Fleet SOUTHCOM deployment (US Navy ) USS Jacksonville (SSN-699) (Apr 9) @ Guam to conduct Liberty and Maintenance USS Kearsarge ARG (Apr 10) @ Gulf of Aden (Apr 5) @ Suez Canal, enter 5th Fleet AOR (US Navy ) (Apr 3) @ Limassol, Cyprus (US Navy ) USS Monterey (CG-61) (Apr 8) @ Norfolk, USA, Deploys to 5th & 6th Fleets AOR USS Ohio (SSGN-726) (Apr 11) @ Apra Harbor, Guam, exchange of command between it's Gold and Blue Crews USS Peleliu ARG (Apr 4) @ S. China Sea, enter 7th Fleet AOR (US Navy ) USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15) (May 6-30) @ Bahrain, IMCMEX-13, international mine countermeasures exercise with 30-nations participating (US Navy ) (Apr 8) US Navy plans to deploy a solid-state laser on-board in FY14 as point-defense system vs. UAVs and small boats (US Navy ) USS Reagan CSG (Apr 2) CG @ Pacific, test AEGIS Combat System with new SM-2, Block-9 missiles, destroying medium altitude drone (US Navy ) USS Roosevelt (CVN-71) (Apr 5) @ Newport News, complete Crew Cert Process (US Navy ) USS Stennis CSG (Apr 10) @ Surigao Straits (US Navy ) (Apr 7) @ S. China Sea, Singaporean military & civilian leaders visit ship (US Navy ) (Apr 5) @ S. China Sea, conduct maritime security patrols (US Navy ) USS Thach (FFG-43) (Apr 12) @ San Diego, returns from 4th Fleet anti-drug patrol (US Navy ) OTHER REGIONAL POWERS / ORGANIZATIONS FGS Karlsruhe (Frigate) (Apr 11) @ Djibouti for supplies (Bundeswehr ) ITS Cavour (Carrier) (Apr 11) @ Gulf of Taranto, civil evacuation exercise with San Marco Brigade (Italian Navy ) SPS Mendez Nunez (Frigate) (Apr 10) @ Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for 3-day visit, concluding Anti-Piracy patrol (Armada ) SPS Numancia (Frigate) (Apr 6) @ Gulf of Aden, Begin 4-month Anti-Piracy patrol (Armada )

WORLD SUPERPOWER GROUND OPERATIONS AND UPDATES (April 7 - 13)

AFRICA NONE AMERICAS USA (Apr 10) @ Washington DC, NORAD exercise FALCON VIRGO 13-07a (DOD ) (Apr 9) USAF begins grounding 1/3 of combat aircraft in response to budget cuts (BBC ) ASIA / PACIFIC AFGHANISTAN (Apr 10) US announces units for next rotation (DOD ) 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Armored Brigade 1st Infantry Division, 3rd Brigade 2nd Cavalry Regiment 4th Infantry Division, HQ (Apr 9) UK 40 Commando leaves Afghanistan for last time (Royal Navy ) (Apr 9) US 3rd Infantry Division, 1st BCT – KIA @ Zabul (DOD ) CHINA (Apr 1) PLA troops conduct live fire exercises in Shenyang Provence near the NK border (Freebeacon ) KOREA (Apr 12) US raises alert status to DEFCON-3, China massing troops on NK border, NK preping for MRBM launch (Debka ); China denies military build-up on border (People's Daily ) (Apr 5) @ Guam, USAF B-1 bombers from Dyess AFB, TX; USAF E-6 Command Aircraft from Tinker AFB, OK (Zero Hedge ) EUROPE UK (Apr 15-29) EX JOINT WARRIOR 2013 (MOD ) 16 Regiment Royal Artillery 42 Commando RAF Tornado and Typhoon fighters

MAPPING UPDATES (April 7 - 13)

AFGHANISTAN ATLANTIC INDIAN OCEAN MEDITERRANEAN / EUROPE PACIFIC