August 31st Weekly Update

WEEKLY LOG UPDATE August 25 – August 31

NAVAL OPERATIONS

CHINA 14th ESCORT TASK FORCE (Aug 24-25) @ Gulf of Aden; DDG-Harbin and SUP- Weishanhu participated in counter-piracy exercise with USS Mason (DDG) (US Navy ) TRAINING TASK FORCE (Aug 30) @ Miyako Straits; East China Sea Fleet task force enters Pacific for high-seas training (Peoples Daily ) PLAN Changzhou (FFG) PLAN Yiyang (FFG) PLAN Liaoning (Carrier) (Aug 30) Pres. Xi Jingping visits Shenyang Military Ops. Watches carrier crew training (Peoples Daily ) (Aug 26) Peoples Daily editorial on carrier operations, type, and internal design (Peoples Daily ) PLAN Peace Ark (Hospital Ship) (Aug 25) @ Chittagong, Bangladesh; leave port for next stop in Myanmar (Peoples Daily ) PLAN Zheng He (Training Ship) (Aug 22) @ Kota Kinabala, Malaysia; conclude 4-day visit, returning to China after patrolling the Nansha Islands (Peoples Daily ) FRANCE FS Aconit (Stealth Frigate) (Aug 26) @ Mediterranean between Crete & Cyprus; en-route to Indian Ocean, conduct surface warfare exercise with DDG's USS Barry and Gravely (DM) (Aug 10) @ Toulon; DEPLOY to Indian Ocean Op. Atalanta anti-piracy patrol (DM ) FS Germinal (Frigate) (Aug 21-25) @ Port Gentil, Gabon; conduct joint exercises, and host Gabonese officials aboard (DM ) RUSSIA RFS Adm. Nakhimov (Battle Cruiser) (Jun 13) @ Sevmash Shipyard; BCGN-Nakhimov currently being overhauled, plan to rejoin fleet in 2018 with most powerful weapons systems available (RIA Novosti ) RFS Moskva (Cruiser) (Aug 29) SYRIA CRISIS; Debka reports CG-Moskva will be deployed to Mediterranean off Syria (Aug 26-29) @ La Guaira, Venezuela; CG-Moskva TF arrives for port call and to pay respects to Chavez, next stop is Spain and Portugal (RIA Novosti ) MEDITERRANEAN TASK FORCE (Aug 29) Russia plans to rotate ships, North Fleet DDG not identified, RFS Moskva TF returning to Mediterranean; RFS Varyag from Pacific will join this Fall (Defense News ) (RIA Novosti ) UNITED KINGDOM HMS Bulwark (LPD – Amphibious Assault Ship) (Aug 28) @ Albania; Royal Marines participate in ALBANIAN LION 13 joint exercise (Royal Navy )(Royal Navy ) HMS Montrose (Frigate) (Aug 29) @ Mediterranean; conduct surface warfare exercises with Greek FFG HS Kanaris (Royal Navy ) UNITED STATES US CARRIER GROUPS USS Roosevelt (CVN-71) (Aug 29) @ Norfolk, Carrier returns to homeport and rejoins fleet (Defense News ) USS Truman CSG (Aug 26) @ Arabian Sea; CSG relieves Nimitz CSG of OEF TF-50 duties (US Navy ) (Aug 24-25) @ Gulf of Aden; DDG-Mason participated in counter-piracy exercise with elements of Chinese 14th Escort Task Force (PLAN Harbin (DDG), PLAN Weishanhu (SUP)) (US Navy) US AMPHIBIOUS GROUPS & COMMAND SHIPS USS BH Richard ARG (Aug 28) @ Darwin, Australia; BHR arrives for port visit, participating in Ex. Koolendong 2013 (EK13) (US Navy ) (Aug 27) @ Dili, Timor-Leste; LPD-Denver arrives to conduct joint military training, and medical training at National Hospital Guido Valadares (US Navy ) USS Kearsarge ARG (Aug 26) @ Seychelles; LSD-Carter Hall COMREL visits Beau Vallon School (US Navy ) US WARSHIPS USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) (Aug 26) @ Port Victoria, Seychelles; port visit while on APS patrol (US Navy ) USS Barry (DDG-52) (Aug 26) @ Mediterranean between Crete & Cyprus; conduct surface warfare exercise with FS Aconit (FFG) (DM) USS Chicago (SSN-721) (Aug 21) @ HMAS Stirling, Australia; port visit during WESTPAC deployment (US Navy ) USS Gravely (DDG-107) (Aug 26) @ Mediterranean between Crete & Cyprus; conduct surface warfare exercise with FS Aconit (FFG) (DM) USS Hampton (SSN-767) (Aug 22) @ Singapore; visiting for rest & relaxation (US Navy ) USS Mahan (DDG-72) (Aug 29) @ Mediterranean; being relieved by USS Stout for SYRIA CRISIS (Defense News) USS Stout (DDG-55) (Aug 29) @ Mediterranean; en-route to Syria to relieve USS Mahan for SYRIA CRISIS (Defense News ) OTHER REGIONAL POWERS / ORGANIZATIONS GERMANY FGS Augsburg (Frigate) (Aug 30) @ Wilhelmshaven, Germany; Return to home port (Bundeswehr) (Aug 14) @ Djibouti; end Op. Atalanta piracy patrol, return to Germany (Bundeswehr) FGS Niedersachsen (Frigate) (Aug 14) @ Djibouti; Relieves FGS Augsburg (FFG), begins Op. Atalanta anti-piracy patrol off Somali coast (Bundeswehr ) FGS Sachsen (Frigate) (Sep 7) @ Malaga; join SNMG-2 for Mediterranean patrol (Armada) ITALY ITS Zeffiro (Frigate) (Aug 26) @ Port Victoria, Seychelles; conduct joint SAR training with Seychelles Coast Guard (DIFESA ) NETHERLANDS HNLMS Johan de Witt (LPD – Amphibious Landing Ship L801) (Aug 16) @ Indian Ocean off Somalia; Begin Op. Atalata anti-piracy patrol as Flagship for next 3.5 months (Defense ) HNLMS Rotterdam (LPD – Amphibious Landing Ship L800) (Aug 30) @ Rota, Spain; International task force of Marines embark for 3-month W. Africa deployment under US-AFRICOM-APS (US Navy ) NORWAY HnoMS Fridtjof Nansen (Frigate) (Aug 28) @ Xabo, Somalia; port visit, provide medical services to villagers (NATO ) (Aug 19) @ Gulf of Aden; coordinate anti-piracy ops with commander of Japanese Escort Division-6 on board DDG JS Akebono (NATO ) SPAIN SPS Blas de Lezo (Frigate) (Sep 7) @ Malaga; join up with other SNMG-2 ships Salihreis (Turkey) and Sachsen (Germany) (Aug 29) @ Ferrol, Spain; deploys to second phase as SNMG-2 Flagship, will be relieved in October (Armada )

GROUND OPERATIONS

AFRICA NONE AMERICAS NONE ASIA / PACIFIC AFGHANISTAN (Aug 30) UK 7 Armored Brigade “Desert Rats” – preparing for deployment to Helmand this fall (UK GOV ) (Aug 28) US 10th Mountain Division, 1st Brigade – KIA @ Ghazni Province (DOD ) (Aug 26) US 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Brigade – KIA @ Hasan Karez (DOD ) RUSSIA – BELARUS (Aug 28) @ Lida, Belarus; Russia plans to deploy SU-27SM3 fighters by years end (RIA Novosti ) SYRIA (Aug 31) UN inspectors leave Syria as US pushes for limited strike (Foxnews ); Russia postpones S-300-P ADA system and fighter jets delivery to Syria due to non-payment (RIA Novosti ) (Aug 30) Turkish military preparing for possible chemical weapons attack from Syria (Defense News ) (Aug 29) @ Akrotiri AB, Cyprus; UK send 6-Typhoon fighter-bombers to protect UK interests during CRISIS, UK-PM goes before Parliament for debate, while opposition to action in US builds (Defense News ) (RIA Novosti PIC ) (Aug 28) USAF moves B1 and F22 squadrons to QATAR (Debka); UK effort for UN resolution fails EUROPE NONE