March 02-08 Weekly News & Log Updates

WEEKLY NEWS & LOG UPDATE March 02 – March 08

NAVAL-MARINE OPERATIONS

CHINA 15th ESCORT TASK FORCE •    NO NEWS 16th ESCORT TASK FORCE •    NO NEWS FRANCE WEST AFRICA CORYMBE TASK FORCE ·         (Feb 27) @ Gulf of Guinea; French Frigate FS Cmdt Birot conducts anti-shipping exercise with Italian navy (U/I Destroyer) and Supply ship ITS Etna (MOD) JEAN DE ARC TASK FORCE ·         (Mar 12) @ Brest; French Assault ship FS Mistral and destroyer FS La Fayette deploy for annual JEAN DE ARC 2014 tour to north and south Atlantic. Task Force will be conducting operations with USN off American Atlantic coast; Caribbean operations; bi-lateral operations with Brazil in mid-Atlantic; joint operations with CORYMBE patrol in Gulf of Guinea; and operations off Portugal before returning (MOD, with Map) FS Jean Bart (Destroyer) ·         (Mar 5) @ Greece; French destroyer makes stopover at the Sude NATO Maritime Operational Training Center to train it’s crews in boarding operations of ships and skiffs (MOD) ·         (Feb 20) @ Toulon; French destroyer deploys to Indian Ocean patrol (MOD)   RUSSIA MEDITERRANEAN TASK FORCE •    NO NEWS UNITED KINGDOM HMS Dragon (Destroyer) ·         (Mar 7-10) @ Liverpool; UK Destroyer visits Liverpool, hosts Sea Cadets and Royal Navy Reservists (Royal Navy) HMS Portland (Frigate) ·         (Mar 3) @ Nigeria; UK Frigate visits Lagos, Nigeria for 3-days (Royal Navy) HMCS Protecteur (Tanker) ·         (Mar 6) @ Pearl Harbor; Canadian tanker HMCS Protecteur is guided back into port by cruiser USS Chosin (CG-65), destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) and tug USNS Sioux (T-ATF-175) following recovery efforts after a fire broke out on the Canadian ship, the ship was returning to home port when the fire broke out (USN) UNITED STATES US CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS USS Bush CSG ·         (Mar 9) @ Turkey; USN Carrier and cruiser USS Philippine Sea arrives at Antalya for port visit (USN) o    NOTE: It’s unusual for a battle group to make two port visits this close together. The CSG might be loitering in the area to remain available for any Black Sea ops. The CSG might also be onloading / offloading materials or equipment, or hanging around waiting for something to catch up to it. The length of the visit is unidentified in the article. 4-days is the typical max. If the CSG doesn’t transit the Suez by this time next week, then we know it’s been temporarily re-tasked to deal with Russia / Ukraine / Syria ·         (Mar 8) @ Romania; USN Destroyer USS Truxton arrives in Constanta, will conduct PASSEX and DIVTACS with Romanian navy (USN) ·         (Mar 8) @ Croatia; USN Destroyer USS Roosevelt arrives at Split for a port visit (USN) ·         (Mar 6) @ Greece; USN Destroyer USS Truxton departs Souda Bay for Black Sea patrol and exercises with allies (USN) ·         (Mar 4) @ Greece; USN Carrier arrives at Piraeus in the Aegean Sea for reception and tours (USN)   US AMPHIBIOUS READY GROUPS & COMMAND SHIPS USS Bataan ARG ·         (Mar 8) @ Aegean Sea; USS Bataan SAR helicopter responds to grounded Turkish container ship Yusef Cepnioglu. Two Turkish mariners were rescued, brought to Bataan for assessment, and transferred to the Hellenic Coast Guard (USN) ·         (Mar 6) @ Portugal; Bataan Amphibious Ready Group visits Lisbon (USN) USS BH Richard ARG •    (Mar 7) @ E China Sea; USS BH Richard is refueled by USNS Rappahannock (T-AO-204) for first time in 6-months (USN) •    (Feb 26) @ Okinawa; USS Ashland (LSD-48) departs Okinawa with units of 31st MEU for WESTPAC patrol (USN) USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) ·         (Mar 8) @S. Korea; USN Command Ship departs Busan, SK following 5-day port visit (USN)   US WARSHIPS FOAL EAGLE 2014 ·         (Mar 8) @ S. Korea; USN ships visit Seoul, SK in advance of annual bi-lateral exercise FOAL EAGLE 2014 (USN) o    USN TASK FORCE: o    USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) o    USS Howard (DDG-83) o    USS Lake Erie (CG-70) o    USS Lassen (DDG-82) USS La Jolla (SSN-701) ·         (Mar 4) @ Pearl arbor; Harbor; USN Attack Submarine deploys to 7th Fleet / WESTPAC (USN) USS O’Kane (DDG-77) ·         (Mar 7) @ Pearl Harbor; USN destroyer deploys to 5th and 7th Fleet Patrol (USN) USS Pinckney (DDG-91) ·         (Mar 9) @ Gulf of Thailand; USN Destroyer helicopter and a P-3 Orion is tasked with assisting in search operations off Vietnam for a missing Malaysian Airlines DC-777 (USN) USS Simpson (FFG-56) ·         (Mar 6) @ Morocco; USN Frigate visits Casablanca (USN) USS Taylor (FFG-50) ·         (Mar 7) @ Turkey; USN Frigate departs Samsun, is en-route to Souda Bay, Greece for repairs to its propeller blades and hub after running aground, repairs are expected to take several weeks  (USN) USS Tucson (SSN-770) ·         (Mar 7) @ Pearl Harbor; USN attack submarine returns from 7th Fleet / WESTPAC patrol (USN) USNS Spearhead (JHSV-1) ·         (Mar 2) @ Spain; USN joint high speed vessel departs Rota for African tour (USN) OTHER REGIONAL POWERS / ORGANIZATIONS EU – OPERATION ATALANTA (CTF-465) •    (Feb 26) @ Gulf of Aden; German frigate FGS Hessen conducts joint training and maneuvers with S. Korean destroyer Kang Gam Chan (Bundesmarine) NATO – OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD (CTF-508) (Patrolled by NATO-SNMG-2) •    (Mar 7) @ Madagascar; Italian destroyer ITS Mimbelli concludes port visit to Antisiranana (NATO) •    (Mar 6) @ Gulf of Aden; Spanish frigate SPS Alvaro de Bazan recently assisted Yemeni dhow adrift at sea after breaking it’s rudder (Armada) NATO – SNMG-1 •    NO NEWS GERMANY ·         (Mar 7) @ North Sea; EAV-2014 – bad weather forces changes to training schedule, storm threatens to push battle group into Arctic Sea, group instead diverts south into English Channel in an effort to make next port call on time at Dublin, Ireland (Bundesmarine)

AIR-GROUND OPERATIONS

AFRICA SOMALIA ·         (Mar 6) @ Rabdhure; Ethiopian and Somali forces defeat Al-Shabab militia in heavy fighting in Bakol Region; Rabdhure was a major base for the Islamist militia; Troops are reportedly advancing to Hudar (BBC) AMERICAS USA ·         (Mar 10-11) @ Poland; USAF reinforces it’s central European presence by deploying (12) F-16 fighters and 300-troops to Lask AFB (Defense News) ·         (Mar 6) @ Lithuania; USAF reinforces it’s Baltic patrol with (6) F-15C fighters @ Siauliai AFB in response to regional tensions related to the Crimean Crisis (Defense News) ASIA / PACIFIC AFGHANISTAN ·         (Feb 28) US 2nd Marine Division, 9th Regiment – KIA @ Helmand Province (DOD) RUSSIA ·         (Mar 8) Analysis: Russia redesigned it’s military over the past ten years from a Divisional structure to a quick action Brigade structure, allowing for limited quick response, but still unable to support extended operations, and remains reliant on nuclear power to defend the motherland (Washington Times) ·         (Mar 6) Russia begins large-scale air defense drills at Kapustin Yar, 280-miles east of Ukraine (RIA Novosti) ·         (Mar 4) Russia reinforces it’s airbase in Armenia with 16 overhauled MIG-29’s (RIA Novosti) ·         (Feb 28) Russia announces plans to establish bases in Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela (Voxxi) EUROPE UKRAINE ·         (Mar 8) Ukrainian 95th Airmobile Brigade deploys from its base in western Ukraine. The unit forms the backbone for the Ukrainian Special Forces. It’s destination is unknown (Debka) ·         (Mar 7) @ Kerch; Russian armored vehicles and transports reinforce Russian infantry in Crimea via amphibious landing in Kerch Straits ( ·         (Mar 7) Ukrainian new authorities begin crackdown on pro-Russian protests in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine ( ·         (Mar 6) Crimean Parliament requests to join Russian Federation (BBC) ·         (Mar 4) USA suspends bi-lateral military training with Russia in protest of the Ukrainian incursion (People's Daily) ·         (Mar 4) @ Kerch; Ukrainian guards report the Russian navy has blocked the N. and S. ends of the Kerch Strait. Russian army is in control of both sides of border, and are massing armor on the Russian side (it’s possible the armor is waiting on the landing ships to transport the armor across) (Reuters) ·         (Mar 4) @ Bosporus Straits; Russian landing ships RFS Saratov and Yamal diverted from Mediterranean Task Force, cross Bosporus into Black Sea; closely followed by Ukrainian Frigate and flagship UPS Hetman Sahaydachniy (Zero Hedge) ·         (Mar 3) Russia issues ultimatum to Ukrainian Navy to surrender, Ukraine estimates 16,000 Russian troops are in Crimea (USA Today)