April 13-19 Weekly News & Log Updates

WEEKLY NEWS & LOG UPDATE April 13 – 19

NAVAL-MARINE OPERATIONS

CHINA 16th ESCORT TASK FORCE ·         NO NEWS MH370 – MISSING AIRLINER SEARCH ·         (Apr 16) Task Force ships PLAN Jinggangshan, Haikou and Qiandaohu move search zone southward (People's Daily) PLAN Changbaishan (Landing Ship) FRANCE WEST AFRICA CORYMBE TASK FORCE ·         Task Force:  Jean de Arc Task Force JEAN DE ARC TASK FORCE ·         Task Force: FS Mistral (Assault Ship); FS La Fayette (Frigate) ·         (Apr 15) @ St. Helene; Task Force visits tomb of Napoleon (MOD.FR) FS Siroco (Landing Ship) ·         (Apr 17) @ Toulon; French LST returns from Indian Ocean deployment (MOD.FR)  RUSSIA MEDITERRANEAN TASK FORCE ·         NO NEWS UNITED KINGDOM HMS Diamond (Destroyer) ·         (Apr 15) @ Mediterranean; UK destroyer reaches halfway point in deployment, takes on fuel and supplies from French tanker FS Var (Royal Navy) HMS Kent (Frigate) ·         (Apr 16) @ Portsmouth; UK Frigate returns to homeport following completion of JOINT WARRIOR (Royal Navy) UNITED STATES US CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS USS Truman CSG ·         (Apr 18) @ Norfolk; Truman strike group returns to homeport following deployment to Mediterranean and Arabian Sea (USN) US AMPHIBIOUS READY GROUPS & COMMAND SHIPS USS BH Richard ARG ·         (Apr 17) @ Yellow Sea; USN assault ship assists in search and rescue operations off Jindo Island for the sunken ferry disaster (USN)   US WARSHIPS USS Cowpens (CG-63) ·         (Apr 17) @ San Diego; USN cruiser returns home following deployment to WESTPAC (USN) USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) ·         (Apr 14) @ Romania; USN destroyer visits Constanta, welcomes Romanian president aboard (USN) ·         (Apr 12) @ Black Sea; Russian SU-24 “buzzes” USN destroyer at sea, made twelve passes at unsafe distance (USN) USS Howard (DDG-83) ·         (Apr 11-14) @ Philippines; USN destroyer visits Manila (USN) USS Lake Erie (CG-70) ·         (Apr 14) @ Japan; USN cruiser visit Osaka, participates in COMREL to Holy Family Home (USN) USS Spruance (DDG-111) ·         (Apr 17) @ San Diego; USN destroyer returns from WESTPAC deployment (USN) USNS Spearhead (JHSV-1) ·         (Apr 15) @ Nigeria; USN high speed vessel delivers 46-pallets of aid as part of Project Handclasp in Lagos (USN) OTHER REGIONAL POWERS / ORGANIZATIONS EU – OPERATION ATALANTA (CTF-465) ·         NO NEWS NATO – OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD (CTF-508) (Patrolled by NATO-SNMG-2) ·         (Apr 15) @ Somali Basin; Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen meets leaders of Somali village Bandar Murcaayo to strengthen communication and cooperation with Somalis in this pro-piracy area (NATO) ·         (Apr 13) @ Indian Ocean; Task Force Flagship SPS C. Colon welcomes EU-ATALANTA commander aboard, conducts tactical exercise with FGS Brandenburg (NATO) ·         (Apr 12) @ Indian Ocean; Task Force flagship SPS C. Colon conducts PASSEX and boarding training with Omani corvette Al Shamikh following port visit at Salalah (NATO) NATO – SNMG-1 ·         NO NEWS NATO – SNMG-2 ·         SEE OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD

AIR-GROUND OPERATIONS

AFRICA NO NEWS AMERICAS NO NEWS ASIA / PACIFIC NO NEWS EUROPE UKRAINE ·         (Apr 18) Ukraine says crack-down on militias in E. Ukraine enters “Inactive” Phase following 4-party talks, but pro-Russian groups refuse to vacate government buildings (RIA) ·         (Apr 17) US General says pro-Russian militias are actually Russian soldiers in disguise (Defense News) …(Note: It’s a violation of the Laws of Land Warfare to do this, and makes Putin a war criminal) ·         (Apr 16) @ Donetsk Region; Separatists capture Ukrainian armor, drive it to Slaviansk, some Ukrainian troops defect or refuse to act against rebels, Kiev looking weak; NATO says won’t defend Ukraine, but will begin immediate deployments to boost alliance readiness (Yahoo) ·         (Apr 15) @ Donetsk Region; o    Ukraine announces start of military operation to liberate facilities captured by pro-Russian “militias”  north of Donetsk, start operations on Apr 13 to recapture government buildings and airport (Ria Novosti); o    Ukrainian forces recapture Kramatosk Airbase from militants, armor seen moving from Odessa to Donetsk (BBC) o    Ukraine confirms that militia fighters captured at Kramatosk are Russian troops from the 45th Airborne Regiment (Yahoo) o    COMMENTARY: by Edward Lucas (Daily Mail) “I hope I’m wrong but historians may look back and say this was the start of World War III” ·         (Apr 12) Pro-Russian protests spread from Donetsk, Luhansk & Kharkiv to regions around those cities; Slaniansk, Mariupol, Yenakievo, Kramatorsk and others ·         (Apr 7) Activists declare independent People’s Republic of Kharkiv and Donetsk Peoples Republic