May 4-10 Weekly News and Log Updates

WEEKLY NEWS & LOG UPDATE May 4 - 10

NAVAL-MARINE OPERATIONS

CHINA 16th ESCORT TASK FORCE ·         NONE FRANCE WEST AFRICA CORYMBE TASK FORCE ·         Task Force:  FS Cmdt Blaison ·         NONE JEAN DE ARC TASK FORCE ·         Task Force: FS Mistral (Assault Ship); FS La Fayette (Frigate) ·         NONE FS Charles de Gaulle (Carrier) ·         (May 5) @ Toulon; French carrier begins 1-month of periodic maintenance following heavy training in Mediterranean (MOD.FR) FS Jean Bart (Destroyer) ·         (May 5) @ Toulon; French destroyer returns home from Indian Ocean deployment (MOD.FR) RUSSIA MEDITERRANEAN TASK FORCE ·         (May 7) @ Mediterranean; Northern Fleet destroyer RFS V. Adm. Kulakov (DDG) joins task force as new FLAGSHIP, replaces RFS Pyotr Veliky (Cruiser) and RFS Adm. Levchenko (DDG), task force currently consists of a dozen warships and auxiliaries (RIA Novosti) RFS Varyag (Cruiser) ·         (May 7) @ Pacific; Russian battle group lead by cruiser RFS Varyag departs for major joint exercise with China (RIA Novosti)   UNITED KINGDOM HMS Dragon (Destroyer) ·         (May 14) @ Cardiff; UK destroyer will visit adopted home city for 5-days, hosting tours by local schools and officials, will be open to the public (MOD.UK) ·         (May 8) @ English Channel; UK destroyer HMS Dragon escorts Russian carrier RFS Kuznetsov and cruiser RFS Pyotr Veliky through the channel on way back to home port, plans to continue drilling in North Sea, then return home in late May (Telegraph) (RIA Novosti) UNITED STATES US CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS USS Roosevelt (CVN-71) ·         (May 5-6) @ Atlantic; US Carrier completes ammo onload from USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE-13) (USN) US AMPHIBIOUS READY GROUPS & COMMAND SHIPS ·         NONE   US WARSHIPS USS Carney (DDG-64) ·         (May 8) @ Spain; US destroyer departs El Ferrol, hosted visits by local officials, the US ambassador and sailors from the Spanish frigate SPS Blaz de Lezo (USN) USS City of Corpus Christi (SSN-705) ·         (May 6) @ Pearl Harbor; US Attack Sub returns home from WESTPAC deployment (USN) USS Hopper (DDG-70) ·          arb(May 6) @ Pearl Harbor; US destroyer returns from 8-month WESTPAC deployment (USN) USS Ramage (DDG-61) ·         (May 4) @ Norfolk; USN destroyer returns home following 9-month deployment to the US 6th Fleet (USN) USS Rentz (FFG-46) ·         (May 9) @ San Diego; US frigate is decommissioned following 30-years of service (USN) USS Taylor (FFG-50) ·         (May 8) @ Georgia; US frigate visits Batumi, hosts ship tours and conducts VBSS training with Georgian Coast Guard (USN) USS Vandergrift (FFG-48) ·         (May 9) @ San Diego; US frigate departs for 4th Fleet / SOUTHCOM deployment to “Operation Martillo” anti-drug patrol off Central America (USN) OTHER REGIONAL POWERS / ORGANIZATIONS EU – OPERATION ATALANTA (CTF-465) ·         (Apr 30) @ Indian Ocean; French frigate FS Floreal responds to medical emergency on Liberian container ship, evacuates sailor and delivers to Oman (MOD.FR) NATO – OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD (CTF-508) (Patrolled by NATO-SNMG-2) ·         NONE NATO – SNMG-1 ·         NONE NATO – SNMG-2 ·         SEE OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD GERMANY ·         (May 9-11) @ Hamburg; German frigate FGS Hamburg is open for tours, celebrating the 825th birthday of the city (Bundeswehr) ·         (May 6) @ Mediterranean; German frigate FGS Augsburg receives command of Finnish boarding team, currently protecting USNS Cape Ray in mission to destroy Syria chemical weapons (Bundeswehr)

AIR-GROUND OPERATIONS

CHINA NONE FRANCE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC ·         (May 5) @ Bemal; 40-militants attack French army patrol, fighting for 3-hours with heavy weapons until nightfall (MOD.FR) RUSSIA UKRAINE ·         (May 9) @ Mariupol; Ukrainian army sieges police HQ captured by pro-Russian militants, media reports 7-killed, dozens injured (BBC) ·         (May 5) @ Slavyansk; Ukrainian army resumes assault of pro-Russian militia, 4-troops killed, 1-helicopter shot down, rebels retreat to city center (BBC) ·         (May 4) @ Crimea; Russian AF buzzes Simferopol, include heavy bombers, MIG-29, SU-34 and refueling aircraft (Yahoo)   UNITED KINGDOM AFGHANISTAN ·         (May 10) UK DEFSEC observes closing of last UK Observation Post Sterga in Helmand by 4 Scots, last remaining bases are at Camp Bastion, and in Kabul and Kandahar, under NATO or US command (GOV.UK) ·         (May 8) UK 20 Armored Brigade prepares to replace 7th Armored Brigade, the HERRICK-20 final rotation includes 4100-troops UNITED STATES AFGHANISTAN ·         (May 3) 4th Infantry Division, 4th Brigade – KIA (Non-Combat) (DOD) NIGERIA ·         (May 9) US prepares to send 12-man training team for 35-mission to Nigeria to train their newly formed 650-man Ranger battalion in response to an attack by Boku Haram Islamic militia attack in northern Nigeria, kidnapping almost 300-girls and killing dozens (Defense News) PHILIPPINES ·         (May 5-16) @ Manila; Exercise BALIKATAN 2014 begins, involves 2500-US Troops and 3000-Filipino Troops @ Camp Aguinaldo near Manila (People's Daily) MULTILATERAL OPERATIONS SYRIA ·         (May 8) Jordanian forces clash with pro Al-Qaeda militants at border trying to cross illegally (DEBKA) ·         (May 8) @ Aleppo; Syrian rebels stage huge explosion in tunnel in effort to break army front line, destroys hotel and several buildings (BBC) ·         (May 7) @ Homs; Homs falls to Syrian army, 2,000 rebels and families evacuated by UN-Iranian observers, ending 2-year siege (Debka)