March 30 - April 5 Weekly News & Log Updates

WEEKLY NEWS & LOG UPDATE March 30 – April 5

NAVAL-MARINE OPERATIONS

CHINA 16th ESCORT TASK FORCE ·         NO NEWS 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) ·         NO NEWS DOGFISH MED 2014 (Major Anti-Submarine Exercise) ·         (Mar 17-28) @ Mediterranean; French Naval ships participate in major anti-submarine exercise DOGFISH MED 2014 (MOD) …units include o    DDG – FS Dupleix o    DDG – FS Forbin o    DDG – FS Jean de Vienne o    DDG – FS Montcalm o    FFG – FS Cdt Ducuing o    SSN – FS Amethyst o    SSN – FS Casabianca o    SUP – FS Meuse o    Embedded 2-Lynx naval helicopters o    Atlantic 2 maritime patrol aircraft FS Jean Bart (Destroyer) ·         (Mar 25-27) @ Qatar; French destroyer FS Jean Bart participates in DIMDEX 2014, is visited by French defense minister (MOD) FS Nivose (Frigate) ·         (Mar 28) @ Comoros; French patrol frigate FS Nivose rescue 2-castaways in the Mozambique Channel and deliver to Comoros (MOD) RUSSIA MEDITERRANEAN TASK FORCE ·         NO NEWS UNITED KINGDOM JOINT WARRIOR 2014 (Major NATO Exercise) ·         (Apr 4) @ Scotland; 40 Commando, Royal Marines assault 16th century castle, ending 1st week of exercise (Royal Navy) ·         (Apr 4) @ North Sea; HMS Illustrious hosts 820 NAS, testing new Merlin Mk. 2 helicopters in their anti-submarine role as part of JOINT WARRIOR 2014 (Royal Navy) ·         (Apr 2) @ North Sea; HMS Bulwark conducts amphibious civilian evacuation as part of JOINT WARRIOR 2014 (Royal Navy) ·         (Mar 31) @ North Sea; USN-DESRON-26 command staff embark HMS Illustrious and participate in JOINT WARRIOR 2014 (USN) HMS Tireless (Trafalgar Class Attack Submarine) ·         (Apr 1) @ Indian Ocean; UK attack submarine has been tasked with assisting with the search for the missing airliner MH370 using her advanced underwater sensors (GOV.UK) AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE FORCES HMAS Choules (L100 – Bay Class Landing Ship, Ex-RFA Larges Bay WIKI ·         (Apr 6-17) @ N. Queensland; Australian landing ship participates in Exercise SEA DAWN 2014, a large multi-service amphibious exercise at the Halifax bay and Cowley Beach Training areas (GOV.AU) UNITED STATES US CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS USS Truman CSG ·         (Apr 3) @ Spain; USN carrier visits Palma island, currently patrolling 6th fleet and returning home (USN) ·         (Apr 3) @ Spain; USN cruiser USS San Jacinto visits Palma island, currently returning home (USN) ·         (Mar 31) @ Italy; USN destroyer USS Bulkeley arrives at Civitavecciha for port visit, currently returning home (USN)   US AMPHIBIOUS READY GROUPS & COMMAND SHIPS USS BH Richard ARG ·         (Apr 5) @ E. China Sea; BHR-ARG and S. Korean forces wrap up Exercise SSANG YONG 2014 (USN) ·         (Apr 3) @ S. Korea; USN landing ship USS Denver stages amphibious assault with 31st MEU as part of SSANG YONG 2014 (USN) ·         (Apr 1) @ S. Korea; USN Landing ship USS Ashland onloads 6-M1A1 USMC tanks as part of Exercise SSANG YONG 2014 (USN) USS Essex (LHD-2) ·         (Apr 4) @ San Diego; USN assault ship begins training to rejoin fleet following 18-month $200-million drydock DPMA refit (USN)   US WARSHIPS USS De Wert (FFG-45) ·         (Apr 4) @ Mayport; USN frigate DECOMMISSIONED following 30-years of service, it’s last deployment being to 5th and 6th Fleet completed in December (USN) USS Frank Cable (AS-40) ·         (Apr 3) @ S. China Sea; USN submarine tender completes first UNREP at sea in 10-years during WESTPAC patrol (USN) USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) ·         (Apr 1) @ Pacific; USN cruiser rescues man aboard disabled sailing vessel off southern California, and taken back to San Diego (USN) USS Stout (DDG-55) ·         (Apr 4) @ Norfolk; USN destroyer returns to homeport following 8-month deployment to the 6th Fleet (USN) OTHER REGIONAL POWERS / ORGANIZATIONS EU – OPERATION ATALANTA (CTF-465) ·         (Apr 6) Germany takes command of OPERATION ATALANTA, with FGS Brandenburg being the flagship, and Flotilla Admiral Jurgen in charge (Bundesmarine) ·         (Apr 2) @ Djibouti; German frigate FGS Brandenburg holds Change of Command ceremony (undesmarine) ·         (Mar 19-21) @ Gulf of Aden; French LST FS Siroco is inspected by French Chief of Staff, then disembark at Djibouti (MOD) NATO – OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD (CTF-508) (Patrolled by NATO-SNMG-2) ·         (Apr 2) @ Gulf of Aden; Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen conducts PASSEX with S. Korean destroyer ROKS Kang Gam Chan, currently assigned to CTF-151 (NATO) ·         (Apr 1) @ Arabian Sea; Spanish frigate SPS Colon and Italian destroyer ITS Mimbelli conduct ADEX with USS Bush CSG (NATO) NATO – SNMG-1 ·         NO NEWS NATO – SNMG-2 ·         SEE OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD INDIA ·         (Mar 28 – Apr 3) @ Indonesia; Indian patrol ship INS Sukanya participates in multinational humanitarian assistance exercise KOMODO 2014 (NIC) ITALY ·         (Apr 1) @ Sicilian Straits; Italian LHD ITS San Giorgio and frigate ITS Maestrale spot two unsafe boats in straits, rescue 730-migrants and transfer them to the Sicilian port of Porto Empedocle (DIFESA)

AIR-GROUND OPERATIONS

AFRICA MALI ·         (Apr 2) The Dutch contribution to French led OP. SERVAL will be reinforced by 3-RNLAF Chinooks, will be based at Gao, the Dutch contingent will be in place by May, and the helicopters will begin operations in October (MOD.NL) AMERICAS NO NEWS ASIA / PACIFIC AFGHANISTAN ·         (Apr 3) UK announces the final phase deployment of troops to Afghanistan, ending in December, 2014 (GOV.UK) …units include o    1 UK Armored Division HQ o    20th Armored Brigade HQ o    102 Logistic HQ o    1 Queens Dragoons Guards o    26 Regiment Royal Artillery o    31 Squadron RAF o    34 Field Hospital o    64 Works group Royal Engineers o    IX (Bomber) Squadron RAF o    The Rifles (2-Battalions) o    Elements of several other units ·         (Apr 2) @ Helmand; After 8-years of frontline operations, the UK’s HQ at Lashkar Gah disbanded, operations in Helmand have been subsumed into the wider US-led Regional Command (South-West), the remaining British troops (7th Armored Brigade) will remain through 2014 until their tour of duty ends, British kit continues to redeploy back to the UK for re-tasking if needed (GOV.UK) ·         (Apr 1) US 82nd Airborne Division, 1st Brigade – KIA @ Kandahar (non-combat) (DOD) KOREA ·         (Mar 31) North and South Korean artillery units exchange fire across the Northern Limit line in the Yellow Sea near Baekryong Island (CNN) LEBANON ·         (Apr 1) @ Lebanon; Italian Defense Minister visits Italian UNIFIL contingent “Sardinia” Mechanized Brigade at Forward Base 1-32 (DIFESA) EUROPE UKRAINE ·         (Apr 4) Ukraine reactivates several mothballed Mig-29 (4th Gen) fighters; Kiev conducted extensive combat readiness checks of it’s military in March in conjunction with the Crimean secession efforts (RIA Novosti) ·         (Apr 3) NATO chief warns that Russia is poised at border to invade Ukraine with 40,000-troops combined army within 12 hours of being given the order (CNN)