February 23 - March 01 Weekly News and Log Updates

WEEKLY NEWS & LOG UPDATE February 23 – March 01

NAVAL-MARINE OPERATIONS

CHINA 15th ESCORT TASK FORCE •    NO NEWS 16th ESCORT TASK FORCE •    (Feb 24) @ Mediterranean; Chinese Frigate PLAN Yancheng holds drills during Syrian chemical weapons escort (People's Daily PIC) FRANCE WEST AFRICA CORYMBE TASK FORCE ·         (Feb 20-22) @ Gulf of Guinea; French Frigate FS Cmdt Birot participates in multinational naval exercise NEMO-14.1 with HMS Portland (UK Frigate) and neighbor countries Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo (MOD) FS Vendemiaire (Frigate) ·         (Feb 17 – Mar 7) @ New Zealand; French Frigate arrives at Auckland, NZ; participating in New Zealand’s MCMEX-14 with 13-nations (MOD) RUSSIA MEDITERRANEAN TASK FORCE •    NO NEWS PACIFIC FLEET ·         (Feb 26) The Russian Pacific Fleet plans to participate in three major exercises over the next 6-months; INDRA-2014 is scheduled to be held in the Sea of Japan this summer with India; MARITIME COOPERATION 2014 joint drills with China will be held in the East China Sea in May-June; KOMODO 2014 with ASEAN navies will be attended by RFS Marshal Shaposhnikov (Udaloy Class Destroyer) off Indonesia in March (RIA Novosti) UNITED KINGDOM HMS Daring (Destroyer) ·         (Feb 28) @ Portsmouth; UK Destroyer HMS Daring returns home from 9-month Far East patrol and worldwide tour (Royal Navy) ·         (Feb 26) @ E. Mediterranean; UK Royal Navy Destroyers HMS Daring and Diamond rendezvous during security patrols in eastern Mediterranean (Royal Navy) HMS Kent (Frigate) ·         (Feb 26) @ North Sea; Royal Navy Frigate wraps up involvement in NATO exercise DYNAMIC MONGOOSE 2014 off Norway (Royal Navy) HMS Montrose (Frigate) ·         (Feb 26) @ E. Mediterranean; UK Frigate HMS Montrose hands over patrol and escort duties to destroyer HMS Diamond (Royal Navy) HMS Westminster (Frigate) ·         (Feb 27) @ Portsmouth; UK Frigate returns home from Indian Ocean patrol (Royal Navy) UNITED STATES US CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS USS Bush CSG ·         (Feb 27) @ Straits of Gibraltar; USN Carrier Strike Group enters Mediterranean (PIC)   US AMPHIBIOUS READY GROUPS & COMMAND SHIPS USS BH Richard ARG •    (Feb 27) @ Okinawa; USS Denver (LPD-9) embarks marines from 31st MEU and departs  for AIT and CERTEX exercises (USN) •    (Feb 26) @ Okinawa; USS BH Richard (LHD) embarks the 31st MEU, prepares for AIT and CERTEX exercises with USS Ashland (LSD-48) (USN)   US WARSHIPS USS Kidd (DDG-100) ·         (Feb 24) @ Timor-Leste; USN Destroyer participates in CARAT with Dep-Commander DESRON-7 and NMCB-3 (USN) USS Rentz (FFG-46) ·         (Feb 28) @ San Diego; USN Frigate returns home after 7-month 4th Fleet patrol to Central and South America and Caribbean (USN) USS Simpson (FFG-56) ·         (Feb 28) @ Spain; USN Frigate docks at Cartagena for scheduled port visit during 6th Fleet patrol (USN) USS Taylor (FFG-50) ·         (Feb 25) @ Turkey; Cmdr Volpe was relieved of duty after USN Frigate runs aground while docking at Samsun, Turkey during Black Sea Olympics security patrol (USN) OTHER REGIONAL POWERS / ORGANIZATIONS EU – OPERATION ATALANTA (CTF-465) •    NO NEWS NATO – OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD (CTF-508) (Patrolled by NATO-SNMG-2) •    (Feb 27) @ Tanzania; Turkish Frigate TCG Gelibolu concludes port visit to Dar es Salaam (NATO) •    (Feb 24) @ Spain; Spanish Frigate SPS Cristobal Colon deploys to relieve current NATO-SNMG-2 flagship SPS Alvaro de Bazan (Armada) NATO – SNMG-1 •    NO NEWS GERMANY ·         (Feb 26) @ North Sea; EAV and SNMG-1 units with Norwegian and other naval warships conduct large scale anti-submarine exercises (Bundesmarine) ITALY ·         (Feb 26) @ Sao Tome and Principe; ITS Cavour Carrier group crosses equator and arrives off Sao Tome (Marina)

AIR-GROUND OPERATIONS

AFRICA NONE AMERICAS NONE ASIA / PACIFIC ISRAEL ·         (Feb 24) Intel sources report Israeli AF strikes SS-21 SCARAB missile unis in Lebanon and Syria, Iranian and Hezbollah commanders promise to respond (DEBKA) EUROPE EUROPEAN UNION ·         (Feb 21) EU Defense Ministers meeting to discuss rapid formation of  military capabilities, especially in light of developments in Ukraine (Neth-MOD) UKRAINE ·         (Mar 1) Russian Parliament unanimously approves Putin’s request to send military units to Crimea and recalls it’s ambassador to the US; Ukraine mobilizes it’s Coast Guard and puts it to sea to prevent capture, and accuses Russia of armed invasion; current estimates are that Russia has 6,000 troops in Crimea, and 10-14 Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters have been deployed (FOX) ·         (Feb 28) Russian air transports (13-Il-76 Candid) land in Crimea, reinforcing Russian units there with 2,000 troops from the Rapid Intervention Force (DEBKA); The regional parliament in Crimea appoints new Cabinet of Ministers, declares allegiance to ousted president Yanukovych, and moves closer to Russia (RIA Novosti) ·         (Feb 27) Ukrainian interim-President warned Russia against military aggression in Crimea after unidentified gunmen seize the Crimean parliament building and 2-airports, and hold a referendum on self-rule, raise Russian flags and Russian military units go on alert at their Black Sea Fleet HQ-Base and border areas, following a clash between pro-Russian and Pro-EU / Tatars at the Parliament Building (DEBKA) (BBC) ·         (Feb 24) Russia transfers military units from Sochi Olympics security duties to Ukraine to protect Russian facilities and populations,; Transports and Rapid deployment forces at Rostov on-Don near Donetsk go on alert, and military units were spotted near Belgorod (DEBKA)