Category: News

US fonops continue

On 10 March, the US destroyer John Finn transited the Taiwan Strait. This took place as part of the Freedom of Navigation Operations (Fonops) proclaimed by the United States. The USA is thus emphasising its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and at the same time taking a stand against China's policy of claiming large parts of the South China Sea as its territory. China's reaction was not long in coming. The spokesman for the eastern PLA command, Colonel Zhang Chunhui, announced in writing that "China strongly opposes this". The behaviour of the US ship sends the wrong signal. America is thus interfering in the regional situation without justification...

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Royal Netherlands Navy supports US troop transport

For around nine months, the 101st Airborne Division, one of two airborne divisions of the United States Army, reinforced the American armed forces in Eastern Europe. Now the 54 deployed helicopters are returning home to Kentucky. In addition to Black Hawks, Chinook transport helicopters, Apache attack helicopters and around 1,200 vehicles and containers are also part of the operation. The expanded presence is a reaction to the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014. The return transport takes place via Rotterdam, where the helicopters are loaded onto ships. The aircraft flying in via Germany and Eindhoven in the Netherlands will assemble in a centre of operations for the duration of the...

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New RHIBs for the RN reservists

HMS Calliope is a Royal Navy Reserve training centre on the right bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead. Reservists have been trained on this "stone frigate" since 1905. The soldiers there have now been able to launch two brand new Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) for the first time in the Royal Quays Marine near the mouth of the Tyne. They were then transported around 13 kilometres upriver to the headquarters. The new boats are part of a transformation aimed at improving the training of reservists. They were built by the South African Gemini Marine. In addition to Calliope, the Cambria, Cardiff and Eaglet reservist centres in Liverpool will each receive two of these boats....

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Pirate attack in the Gulf of Guinea

Pirates have once again attacked a ship in the Gulf of Guinea. On 11 March, the Maltese-flagged product tanker Davide B was sailing around 220 miles south-west of Lagos when nine men are believed to have attacked the ship. According to AIS data, the Davide B reduced its speed from 10 to 3 knots, then the automatic identification system was switched off. Only six members of the 21-strong crew were able to escape to the citadel. The 15 remaining sailors were kidnapped and taken off board. After nine hours, the Nigerian supply ship Qua Iboe River was able to join the Davide B. The Davide B was on its way from Riga...

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Successful communication test with Nato AGS

Nato's Allied Maritime Command is based in Northwood in the UK. Its Maritime Air Operations Team (Marair) was able to carry out a flight with the NATO Alliance Ground System (AGS) at the end of February, during which communication between the headquarters and the drone was successfully tested. The AGS was located over the central Mediterranean. A communication link was established between Northwood, Sigonella Air Base in Sicily and the NATO Air Command and Combined Air Operations Centre in Torrejon, Spain. The sensor data supplied by the AGS was then compared with the AIS situation picture in Northwood and verified. The additional data provided by the drone...

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