October 13-19 Weekly Log Update

WEEKLY LOG UPDATE October 13 – 19

NAVAL OPERATIONS

CHINA MULTI-FLEET COMBAT DRILLS (Oct 18) @ Pacific; China's three fleets began 2-week long combat drills, includes ships from all fleets, subs, aircraft and shore batteries (Peoples Daily) PLAN Lanzhou TF (Oct 14) @ Straits of Magellen; transit straits into Atlantic, first for any PLAN ship (Peoples Daily) (Oct 10) @ Valparaiso, Chile; PLAN Lanzhou (DDG) and Liuzhou (FFG) participate in naval exercises with Chilean Navy ships Lynch (FF) and Captain Pratt (FFG) (Peoples Daily PIC)(Peoples Daily) PLAN Peace Ark (Hospital Ship) (Oct 12) @ Zhoushan; Return from HARMONIOUS MISSION 2013 deployment to Indian Ocean (Peoples Daily ) PLAN Qingdao TF (Oct 16) @ Auckland, New Zealand; depart after 4-day goodwill visit, returning to China (Peoples Daily) FRANCE FS Aconit (Frigate) (Oct 5) @ Arabian Gulf near Bahrain; join TF-150 counter-terror patrol (MOD) FS Charles de Gaulle (Carrier) (Oct 18) @ Mediterranean; begin carrier pilot qualification training (Rafale, Super-Etendard, Hawkeye) (MOD) FS Mistral (Amphibious Assault Ship) (Oct 17) @ Toulon?; Hosts NATO Response Force commanders (MARCOM & STRIKFORNATO), France assumes command for 1-year, plan to deploy to Indian Ocean soon (MOD ) FS PM L'Her (Frigate) (Oct 9-12) @ Guinea for CORYMBE patrol visit (MOD) RUSSIA RFS Adm. Vinogradov (Pacific Fleet Destroyer) (Oct 22-25) @ Busan, SK; participate in KORMARINE 2013 International Shipbuilding and Marine Exhibition in S. Korea (RIA Novosti) (Oct 19) @ Vladivostok; depart for 2-month Pacific patrol (RIA Novosti) RFS Adm. Vinogradov (DDG, Destroyer – FLAGSHIP) RFS Irkut (SUP-Tanker) RFS Kalar (TUG) UNITED KINGDOM COUGAR 2013 DEPLOYMENT (Oct 16) @ Abu Dhabi, UAE; HMS Bulwark host Defense & Security Industry Day highlighting UK defense industry to the region (Royal Navy) (Oct 15) @ Arabian Gulf off UAE; Exercise SEA KHANJAR concludes with amphibious landing with Royal Marines and UAE Marines (Royal Navy) (Oct 14) @ Arabian Gulf; Fleet Commander V-Adm. Jones visits HMS Montrose during Exercise Sea Khanjar (Royal Navy) JOINT WARRIOR 2013 (Oct 18) @ North Sea off Scotland; Tri-Service NATO / UK exercise closes (Royal Navy) HMS Dragon (Destroyer) (Oct 14) @ Cyprus; Royal Marines spend 5-days in field exercises, including training speed march through open countryside (Royal Navy) HMS Monmouth (Frigate) (Oct 15) @ Monmouth, Wales; 150-Sailors parade in namesakes town following deployment (Royal Navy) HMS Protector (Ice Patrol Ship) (Oct 17) @ Portsmouth; deploying to S. Atlantic / Antarctica for double-deployment before returning to Devonport in Spring, 2015 (Royal Navy) HMS Westminster (Frigate) (Oct 14-19) @ Goa, India; participate in KONKAN-2013 bilateral naval exercise with Indian destroyer INS Delhi (Delhi-Class) (Indian Navy) HMS Sutherland (Frigate) (Oct 11) @ Hamburg, Germany; diplomatic port visit and ship tour, last port visit before entering drydock for maintenance period (Royal Navy) HMAS Melbourne (Frigate) (Oct 15) @ Indian Ocean of Somalia; intercept suspected pirates (MOD) RFA Ft. Victoria (Supply Ship) (Oct 18) @ Indian Ocean; begin return trip to UK following 3-year deployment, will conduct maintenance following return (Royal Navy) UNITED STATES US CARRIER GROUPS NONE US AMPHIBIOUS GROUPS & COMMAND SHIPS USS Kearsarge ARG (Oct 17) @ Central Mediterranean; USS San Antonio (LPD) rescues 128-immigrants in raft, transfer to Maltese patrol ship (US Navy) (Oct 12) @ Suez Canal; depart 5th Fleet AOR, replaced by USS Boxer ARG (US Navy) US WARSHIPS TASK GROUP EXERCISE (PACIFIC) (Oct 7-11) @ San Diego; US Navy and Canadian RN ships participate in TGEX, includes air defense, AS warfare, surface warfare and interdiction exercises (US Navy) USS Dewey (DDG-105) USS Gary (FFG-51) USS Ingraham (FFG-61) USS McClusky (FFG-41) USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) HMCS Ottawa (FFH-341) HMCS Protecteur (AOR-509) HMCS Regina (FFH-334) USS Bainebridge (DDG-96) (Oct 18) @ Seychelles; second port visit to Port Victoria, currently deployed to EUCOM / Africa Patrol Station (US Navy) USS Helena (SSN-725) (Oct 15) @ Norfolk; return from EUCOM / CENTCOM / WESTPAC (PACOM) (US Navy) USS Rentz (FFG-46) (Oct 9) @ Caribbean; Intercept drug boat with Colombian Navy, seize 1-ton of cocaine (US Navy) USS Spruance (DDG-111) (Oct 16) @ San Diego; Depart on maiden deployment to WESTPAC (US Navy) OTHER REGIONAL POWERS / ORGANIZATIONS NATO SNMG-2 (Oct 16) @ W. Mediterranean; SNMG-2 participates in Air Defense Exercise, defending against a relentless assault by 18-Fighters (NATO) FGS Sachsen (German Frigate) ITS Grecale (Italian Frigate) SPS Alvaro de Bazan (Spanish Frigate) <FLAGSHIP> TCG Salihreis (Turkish Frigate) (3) EF-2000 Typhoon fighters supporting SNMG-2 OPFOR: mixed group of EF-2000, EF-18, AV8B, Mirage F-1, C-101, 2-EW Aircraft, 1-Patrol Aircraft, 1-Tanker (Oct 15) @ Barcelona; SPS A. de Bazan assumes duty as SNMG-2 FLAGSHIP, group ORBAT updates (NATO) BGS Drazki (Bulgarian Frigate) FGS Sachsen (German Frigate) ITS Grecale (Italian Frigate) ROS Regina Maria (Romanian Frigate) SPS Alvaro de Bazan (Spanish Frigate) TCG Salihreis (Turkish Frigate) UPS Ternopil (Ukrainian Grisha-V Corvette) GERMANY FGS Niedersachsen (Frigate) (Oct 10) @ Djibouti; Port visit during Op. Atalanta deployment, crews cross-tours Japanese navy destroyers JS Ariake and Setogiri (Bundesmarine) INDIA INS Jalashwa (Austin Class LPD) (Oct 12) Eastern Fleet preparing to send 2-ships in response to Cyclone Phailin striking eastern coastline of India (Indian Navy) INS Vikramaditya (Carrier) (Oct 14) Planning to depart for India on (Nov 30) (RIA Novosti) ITALY ITS Andrea Doria (Horizon Class Destroyer) (Sept 5) @ E. Mediterranean; Destroyer deploys to Lebanon (UNIFIL) in response to crisis in Syria to protect ships and troops (MOD) ITS Zeffiro (Frigate) (Oct 18) @ Taranto, Italy; return from Op. Atalanta deployment in Indian Ocean (MOD) UKRAINE UPS Hetman Sagaidachnyi (Krivak-III Frigate) (Oct 15) @ Gulf of Aden; assists MV Barwaago after captain suffers heart attack, currently on NATO OCEAN SHIELD (CTF-508) Deployment (NATO)

GROUND OPERATIONS

AFRICA NONE AMERICAS USA – KYRGYZSTAN / CENTCOM (Oct 19) KYRGYZSTAN: USAF begins withdrawal from from Manas AB, transferring materials and relay facilities to Romania (RIA Novosti)(DOD) USA – ROMANIA / EUCOM (Oct 19) ROMANIA: USAF moving transfer facilities from Manas, Kyrgyzstan to Romania, also setting up AEGIS Ashore Missile Defense System, will be ready by 2015 (RIA Novosti) (DOD) ASIA / PACIFIC AFGHANISTAN (Oct 18) UK draw-down begins, closing bases and handing over facilities to Afghan Army, transferring equipment to Camp Bastion for transport back to UK (GOV.UK) (Oct 13) US 10th Special Forces Group, 3rd Battalion – KIA @ Paktia Province (DOD) (Oct 3) US 3rd Infantry Division, 4th Brigade – Artillery exercise @ Combat Outpost Sultan Kheyl, Wardak Province RUSSIA – ARMENIA (Oct 18) @ Erebuni Airport, Armenia; Russia reinforces AB with combat helicopter squadron, currently hosts (16) MIG-29's (RIA Novosti) EUROPE NONE