April 20-26 Weekly News & Log Updates

WEEKLY NEWS & LOG UPDATE April 20 – 26

NAVAL-MARINE OPERATIONS

CHINA 16th ESCORT TASK FORCE ·         NO NEWS 14th ANNUAL WESTERN PACIFIC NAVAL SYMPOSIUM ·         (Apr 23) @ E. China Sea; Nineteen warships from 14th Annual Western Pacific Naval Symposium hold multinational exercise 1st Annual Maritime Cooperation 2014 (People's Daily) ·         (Apr 20-22) @ Qinghai; China hosts the 14th Annual WPNS, attended by various national warships, ship tours and crew sporting competitions held (People's Daily) …units include o    BNS Abu Bakr (Bangladeshi frigate) o    INS Shivalk (Indian frigate) o    PLAN Harbin (Chinese destroyer) o    Australian Navy Band o    Indonesian warship o    Pakistani frigate PLAN Huangshan (frigate) ·         (Apr 22) @ Pacific; Chinese frigate conducts live fire training for its marine commandos (People's Daily) PLAN Liaoning (Carrier) ·         (Apr 17) @ Damian; Chinese carrier begins interim maintenance period in the shipyard (People's Daily) FRANCE WEST AFRICA CORYMBE TASK FORCE ·         Task Force:  NONE DECLARED JEAN DE ARC TASK FORCE ·         Task Force: FS Mistral (Assault Ship); FS La Fayette (Frigate) ·         (Apr 24-30) @ Brazil; Task Force visits Rio De Janeiro, hosts college students and members from the French community, then participating in a joint amphibious exercise MISTRAL DE BRAISE with Brazilian marines at Marambaia Peninsula (MOD.FR) ·         (Apr 14) Task Force completes CORYMBE phase with a series of amphibious exercises with African militaries (MOD.FR) FS Jean Bart (Destroyer) ·         (Apr 23) @ Arabian Sea; French destroyer participates in joint exercises with Omani navy 1000km south of Muscat (MOD.FR) FS Tonnerre (LHD) ·         (Apr 24) @ Mediterranean; French assault ship hosts next generation of helicopters (NH90-TTH Cayman, and 1-Tiger attack helicopter) for 15-days of training (MOD.FR) RUSSIA MEDITERRANEAN TASK FORCE ·         NO NEWS UNITED KINGDOM HMS Dragon (Destroyer) ·         (Apr 24) @ North Sea; UK destroyer intercepts and escorts Russian destroyer RFS V. Adm. Kulakov as it transits near Scotland (MOD.UK) HMS Tireless (Attack submarine) ·         (Apr 25) @ Indian Ocean; UK submarine concludes participation in MH370 search, HMS Echo remains on station (MOD.UK) RFA Wave Knight (Supply Ship) ·         (Apr 25) @ Portland; UK supply ship returns home following 15-month deployment to Caribbean (MOD.UK) UNITED STATES US CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS ·         NO UPDATES US AMPHIBIOUS READY GROUPS & COMMAND SHIPS USS BH Richard ARG ·         (Apr 24) @ Okinawa; USS BH Richard off-loads 31st MEU and vehicles at Okinawa, underway period ending (USN) USS Boxer ARG ·         (Apr 25) @ San Diego; Boxer ARG returns home following 8-month deployment to WESTPAC and CENTCOM (USN)   US WARSHIPS USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) ·         (Apr 24) @ Black Sea; USN destroyer departs Black Sea following joint exercises with USS Taylor (FFG-50) and Romanian frigates ROS Regina Maria and Marasesti (USN) USS North Carolina (SSN-777) ·         (Apr 26) @ Singapore; USN attack submarine visits Changi Naval Base in Singapore during 7th Fleet deployment (USN) USS Wayne E Meyer (DDG-108) ·         (Apr 24) @ Korea; USN destroyer visits Busan, SK (USN) USNS Spearhead (JHSV-1) ·         (Apr 23) @ Gabon; USN high speed vessel visits Libreville, Gabon (USN) ·         (Apr 16-21) @ Gulf of Guinea; USN joint high speed vessel participates in Exercise OBANGAME EXPRESS with European, Atlantic and African partners (USN) OTHER REGIONAL POWERS / ORGANIZATIONS EU – OPERATION ATALANTA (CTF-465) ·         (Apr 18) Indian Ocean; French patrol frigate FS Floreal joins the EU anti-piracy patrol ATALANTA (MOD.FR) NATO – OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD (CTF-508) (Patrolled by NATO-SNMG-2) ·         (Apr 22) @ Oman; Italian destroyer ITS Mimbelli visits Muscat, hosts delegation from Royal Omani Navy (NATO) NATO – SNMG-1 ·         (Apr 25) @ Mediterranean; SNMG-1 task force assumes command of NATO-Active Endeavour anti-piracy patrol in Med (NATO) …units include o    FGS Magdeburg (German Corvette) o    HNOMS Thor Heyerdahl (Norwegian Frigate) <FLAGSHIP> NATO – SNMG-2 ·         SEE OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD GERMANY ·         (Apr 17) @ Wilhelmshaven; German frigate FGS Hessen returns home from EU-OPERATION ATALANTA patrol in Indian Ocean (Bundesmarine)

AIR-GROUND OPERATIONS

CHINA MAINLAND CHINA ·         (Apr 18) @ Chengdu MAC; PLA-AF Division conducts live fire training (People's Daily) FRANCE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC ·         (Apr 25) French Combined Arms Tactical Group “Dragon” deploys along the Bangui-Cameroon axis, currently 2,000-French troops and 5,600-MISCA troops are deployed in CAR for stabilization following civil war (MOD.FR) LA REUNION ISLAND ·         (Apr 22-23) Long range sortie and refueling exercise with 2-Rafale-B fighters and 1-C135FR from France to La Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, and participating in a joint exercise with the 2nd Marine Paratroop Regiment (MOD.FR) RUSSIA UKRAINE ·         (Apr 26) Russia claims Ukraine building up military force near Slavyansk, includes 15,000-troops, 160-tanks and 230-APCs (RIA Novosti) ·         (Apr 23) Kiev restarts operations against Pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine (RIA Novosti) UNITED KINGDOM UNITED STATES NO NEWS MULTILATERAL OPERATIONS LEBANON ·         (Apr 15) 5th Regiment assumes command of Italian UNIFIL contingent at Al Mansouri Base in southern Lebanon (DIFESA)