Category: Magazine

The Egyptian Navy

In eternal competition with the army and air force 3,000 years before the turn of time, one of the early advanced civilisations emerged on the Nile, but the Egyptians were initially focused on their inland: "Maritime" activities - both military and mercantile - only took place on the Nile. It was only with the expansion of regional influence that the open sea also gained in importance. Pharaoh Thutmose III (1486-1425 BC) finally founded the first navy and had numerous ships built at a shipyard in Memphis, which was huge by the standards of the time, to support his campaigns into Babylonia. However, these were mostly only used to transport troops, horses and material across the eastern...

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The missile systems of the German Navy

Current status and succession planning The current decisions on the reorganisation of the Bundeswehr and thus also the Navy are aimed at a strict operational orientation of the armed forces. Based on the concept of the Bundeswehr, the German Navy has continued to orientate itself towards its new tasks. The German naval forces contribute to military operations by protecting deployment and redeployment and enabling or securing access to the respective theatre of operations. They support their own forces operating on or over land from the sea and ensure the use of the sea as a base for joint operations (base at sea). Combating enemy naval forces in the land and sea areas.

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The Gulf of Guinea

Current and future engagement of the European Union The Council of Foreign Ministers of the European Union adopted a "Gulf of Guinea Strategy" in 2014 and an action plan (time horizon: 2015-2020) to implement this strategy in March 2015. Various EU Council working groups were involved in the development of the strategy and action plan under the leadership of the European External Action Service (EEAS), which comprises 67 individual actions. There was close coordination with international partners, in particular with the United Nations, three regional African organisations and a total of 19 African coastal states. Although the EU does not (yet) play a central role in the Gulf of Guinea, it wants and needs to become more active there with its strategy and action plan, using its rich array of civilian and military instruments. There was a clear need for action to develop a strategy and action plan for the Gulf of Guinea: piracy, armed robbery, human trafficking and smuggling (people, drugs, weapons), illegal fishing, illegal diversion (oil bunkering) and theft of oil, a highly "toxic mix" of criminal activities. Some facts: Piracy activity in the Gulf of Guinea accounts for between 15-19 % of attacks worldwide. In 2014, 24 incidents were reported, compared to three in the Indian Ocean and eight cases of brutal violence against crews, nine cases of use of firearms and 66 crew members taken hostage. This compares to none in the Indian Ocean, 28 in the Strait of Malacca and 43 in the South China Sea (source: International Maritime Organisation, IMO)....

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Wake-up call for the navy

Poland's new naval strategy A maritime strategy is a comprehensive orientation of all aspects of national power to achieve specific political goals in a given situation through a certain degree of control at sea (John Hattendorf). National naval strategies provide important guidance for the concrete planning of naval procurement. At the same time, published naval strategies are important instruments of deterrence, as they inform friend and foe of the intentions involved. During the Cold War, the Baltic Sea could be seen as an important battlefield in a future confrontation between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Since the 1990s, the Baltic NATO members and their partners have viewed the Baltic Sea as a...

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F125 - The road to operational readiness

Modern and innovative - After project planning and many years of production, the testing period for the "Baden-Württemberg" began in April of this year with the first sea voyage, the so-called shipyard test voyage, and thus the proof of the required performance capability began. At the end of the two-year process, in addition to the usability of the frigate "Baden-Württemberg", a statement will also be made for the entire Class 125. The upcoming trial phase will not only concern the material and operational aspects, but will also include a review of the assumptions made and technical support for the multi-crew model. The milestone reached is reason enough to take another look at the Class 125 frigate project from the perspective of the Navy from the following aspects. The operational load for the German Navy has increased steadily in recent times. The fleet is simultaneously providing units for four different mandated missions. In addition, there are obligations within the framework of NATO's Standing Maritime Groups and participation in joint exercises. This is accompanied by the simultaneous decommissioning of units, such as the Class 122 frigates and the Class 143A fast patrol boats. The number of platforms available for operational tasks is also influenced by the extensive measures to maintain the operational readiness of Class 123 frigates and the hardware regeneration for Class 124. This makes it all the more important that the four Class 125 frigates are delivered as quickly as possible and on time, and that they are available for operational tasks. This article will describe the path to this goal and point out...

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