January 12-18 Weekly Log Updates

WEEKLY LOG UPDATE January 12 – 18

NAVAL OPERATIONS

CHINA 15th ESCORT TASK FORCE (Jan 13-16) @ Sri Lanka; PLAN Jianggangshan and PLAN Hengshui arrived at Trinomalee Port for 3-day goodwill visit, ship will be open for public tours and crew will carry out equipment exchanges with Sri Lankan navy personnel (Peoples Daily) 16th ESCORT TASK FORCE (Jan 12) @ Gulf of Aden; PLAN Luoyang (FFG) discovers suspect pirate vessels and repels then from attacking merchant ships (Peoples Daily) (Jan 12) @ Mediterranean off Syria; PLAN Yancheng (FFG) conducted round-the-clock ship landing training for it's helicopter while stationed off Syria's coast (Peoples Daily) (Jan 10) @ Mediterranean; PLAN Yancheng (FFG) staff meets onboard HDMS Esbern Snare (Denmark Combat Support Ship) to coordinate Syria chemical weapons escort duties with HnoMS Helge Ingstad (Norwegian FFG), and Commander of the Russian Mediterranean Task Force (Peoples Daily) FRANCE WEST AFRICA CORYMBE TASK FORCE (Jan 13) @ Guinea; FS Cmdt L'Herminier (Frigate) visits Conakry, conducts change of command (MOD) (Jan 7-11) @ Ivory Coast; FS Dixmude (Assault Ship) visits Abidjan, conducts amphibious exercise with forward-deployed troops and IC troops (MOD) GABIAN 2014 – MAJOR QUARTERLY NAVAL EXERCISE (Jan 20-24) @ Mediterranean; French naval forces conduct major quarterly naval exercise GABIAN-2014 (MOD) ...units include FS Capricorn (MCM) FS Cassard (DDG) FS Cmdt Ducuing (FFG) FS Dupleix (DDG) FS Lyre (MCM) FS Marne (Supply) FS Orion (MCM) FS Tonnerre (LHD) FS Var (Supply) FS Charles De Gaulle (Carrier) (Jan 12) @ Arabian Gulf; Battlegroup leaves UAE, resumes operational activities with USS Truman CSG (MOD) (Jan 8-12) @ UAE; Battlegroup visits Abu Dhabi for break and supplies, De Gaulle is toured by UAE Foreign Minister (MOD) (Jan 5-7) @ Qatar; Battlegroup participates in bilateral exercise OCEAN FALCON with Qatari forces (MOD) FS Latouche-Treville (Destroyer) (Jan 14) @ Bay of Biscay; French destroyer reportedly sortied out of Brest in early Jan to intercept Russian Carrier battlegroup in English Channel, and conducted various exercise in Bay of Biscay for 3-days, Russian Battlegroup is currently in Mediterranean (MOD) RUSSIA MEDITERRANEAN TASK FORCE NO NEWS UNITED KINGDOM HMS Argyll (Type-23 Frigate) (Jan 15-19) @ London, UK; Frigate returns to London for tours, will dock beside HMS Belfast near Tower Bridge (UK-RN) HMS Montrose (Type-23 Frigate) (Jan 14) UK Frigate is tasked with assisting the removal of Syrian chemical weapons in June, 2014; ship is currently in Arabian Gulf (UK-RN) HMS Ocean (Helicopter Carrier) (Jan 14) @ Devonport, UK; nearing end of 15-month refit, crew begins returning to ship, will return to sea this spring (UK-RN) HMS Protector (Ice Patrol Ship) (Jan 17) @ S. Sandwich Islands; Ice Patrol Ship conducts underwater surveys in previously uncharted waters around S. Thule Island, Douglas Straits and Cook Islands (UK-RN) HMS Somerset (F82 – Frigate) (Jan 16) @ Gibraltar; UK Frigate visited to take on supplies, and the Fit Crew took on the Rock Race Challenge (UK-RN) UNITED STATES US CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS USS Reagan (CVN-76) (Jan 14) US Navy announces pacific re-balance, will replace USS Washington with USS Reagan in Japan, and transfer USS Roosevelt to San Diego from Norfolk, Carrier Air Wing-5 will remain at NAS Atsugi, Japan (USN) USS Roosevelt (CVN-71) (Jan 15) @ Atlantic; Conducting Carrier Qualifications at sea (USN) USS Truman CSG (Jan 15) @ Arabian Gulf; French Super-Etendard Strike Fighters from carrier FS Charles De Gaulle overfly US carrier, both carriers are conducting interoperability exercises (USN) US AMPHIBIOUS READY GROUPS & COMMAND SHIPS USS Makin Island (LHD-8) (Jan 16) @ Pacific; Assault Ship conducting Sea Trials after 13-month refit (USN) US WARSHIPS USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) (Jan 14) @ Norfolk, VA; US Destroyer returns from 6-month deployment to 6th Fleet (USN) USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) (Jan 15) @ Atlantic; US Destroyer is underway conducting drills in preparation for homeport shift to Rota, Spain (USN) USS Elrod (FFG-55) (Jan 14) @ Norfolk, VA; US Frigate deploys to US 6th Fleet AOR (Mediterranean) for 6-months (USN) USS Halyburton (FFG-40) (Jan 15) @ Mayport; US Frigate deploys to 4th Fleet / SOUTHCOM, will assist efforts against drug trafficcing in Caribbean, Central and South America (USN) USS McCampbell (DDG-85) (Jan 16) @ Japan; US Destroyer gets underway from Yokosuka for 7th Fleet patrol (USN) USS Rentz (FFG-46) (Jan 14) @ Pacific off Guatamala; Frigate rescued 3-deep sea turtles about 80-miles offshore stuck in fishing bouys (USN) (Jan 13) @ Pacific off Ecuador; Frigate seized appr 313 kg of cocaine during anti-drug operations in 4th Fleet AOR, three suspects were transferred to Ecuadoran authorities (USN) USS Scranton (SSN-756) (Jan 13) @ Norfolk, VA; Attack Submarine returns from Mediterranean & Indian Ocean patrol (USN) USS Stout (DDG-55) (Jan 16) @ Mediterranean; US Destroyers Stout and Ramage conduct crew swap via RHI Boat during 6th Fleet patrol (USN) USNS Spearhead (JHSV-1) (Jan 16) @ Virginia Beach, VA; The Navy's first Joint-High Speed Vessel departed for it's maiden deployment to US 6th Fleet AOR until May, then sail to US 4th Fleet; The ship is a multi-mission 338'-Catamaran hull. Can carry 600-tons of supplies and support various aircraft (USN) OTHER REGIONAL POWERS / ORGANIZATIONS EU – OPERATION ATALANTA (CTF-465) (Jan 16) @ Seychelles; ITS Libbecio (Italian Frigate) conducts anti-piracy exercise with Seychelles Coast Guard, Police and Air Force (DIFESA) (Jan 11) @ Kenya; FS Siroco (Landing Ship) delivered 2-SUV's at Mombassa for EU mission EUCAP-NESTOR (MOD) NATO – OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD (CTF-508) (Patrolled by NATO-SNMG-2) NO NEWS

GROUND OPERATIONS

AFRICA NONE AMERICAS NONE ASIA / PACIFIC AFGHANISTAN (Jan 17) US 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Brigade – KIA @ Kandahar City (Jan 15) US 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), 2nd Battalion – KIA @ Parwan Province (DOD)      RUSSIA – ARMENIA (Jan 17) Russia forms a helicopter squadron to strengthen it's air contingent at Erebuni AB in Armenia. The base currently hosts 16 Mig-29's. The new squadron will host Mi-24P “Hind-F” attack helicopters, and Mi-8MT & Mi-8SMV transport helicopters. The crew are currently training at Rostov-on-Don AB, and the squadron will be phased in throughout 2014 (RIA Novosti) EUROPE NONE