08/16/2014: Flight deck operations from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). Bush is operating in the Arabian Gulf on a scheduled deployment to U.S. 5th Fleet.
The President has authorized U.S. Central Command to conduct military operations in support of humanitarian aid deliveries and targeted airstrikes in Iraq to protect U.S. personnel and interests, in response to activities conducted by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorists.
Credit:Navy Media Content Services:8/12/14
08/15/2014: Parachute riggers with 1st Air Delivery Platoon, Landing Support Company, Combat Logistics Regiment-15, conduct 1,500 foot static-line jumps out of CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., June 11.
The training gave the Marines the ability to perfect their maneuver capability under the canopy and practice safety procedures for jumping out a helicopter.
Credit:1st MEF:6/12/14
08/15/2014: In flight footage from the cockpit of an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to the Fighting Black Lions of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 213 embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77).
Aircraft from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 embarked aboard USS Bush are serving U.S. Central Command to conduct military operations in support of humanitarian aid deliveries and targeted airstrikes in Iraq to protect U.S. personnel and interests, in response to activities conducted by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorists.
Credit:Navy Media Content Services:8/10/14
08/14/2014:U.S. Navy Sailors aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) build GBU-54 bombs. Bush is operating in the Arabian Gulf on a scheduled deployment to U.S. 5th Fleet.
The president has authorized U.S. Central Command to conduct military operations in support of humanitarian aid deliveries and targeted airstrikes in Iraq to protect U.S. personnel and interests, in response to activities conducted by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorists.
Credit:Navy Media Content Services:8/9/14
08/10/2014: Sailors assigned to Commander, Task Group (CTG) 56.1, and members of Royal Jordanian Navy launch and recover unmanned underwater vehicle MK 18 MOD 1 for basic operation during Exercise
Eager Lion 2014 in Aqaba, Jordan, June 3.
Exercise Eager Lion is a recurring, multi-national exercise designed to strengthen military-to-military relationships and enhance regional security and stability by responding to modern-day security scenarios.
MK 18 Mod 1 Swordfish UUV
Based on the REMUS 100, the Swordfish is designed to Search, Classify, and Map (SCM) the Very Shallow Water (VSW) Region (10‐40 ft).
The Navy has a total of 24 Swordfish vehicles: EOD Mobile Unit 1 San Diego, CA : 4 Systems (12 Block A Vehicles), Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 (MDSU‐2), Norfolk, VA: 1 System (3 Block A Vehicles), Naval Oceanographic and Mine Warfare Command (NOMWC), Stennis, MS: 3 Systems (9 Block B vehicles).
http://www.navaldrones.com/Remus.html
According to a USN story:
Kingfish is an autonomous underwater unmanned vehicle (UUV) used by the U.S. Navy for mine detection missions with an improved endurance and area coverage rate that replaces the in-theater Swordfish system.
These UUVs are pre-programmed and designed to scan waters for targets or threats while offering sailors faster post-mission analysis using the Navy’s Mine Warfare and Environmental Decision Library (MEDAL) and Command Operations Interference Navy (COIN) systems.
http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=75039
Credit Video: U.S. Central Command Public Affairs: 6/3/14
08/07/2014: Members of the French 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment parachute from Nevada and Georgia Air National Guard C-130H Hercules aircraft at the Paolomagno drop zone near Solenzara Air Base, during a joint training exercise for Allied Forge 2014, Corsica, France.
Allied Forge, involves the 82nd Airborne Division in conjunction with the 152nd and 165th Airlift Wings, is the first-ever interoperability exercise designed to enhance bilateral capabilities between the United States and the French 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment.
The video features an interview with Sgt. Visovan Raul, 1st Company, 2nd Regiment.
Credit:4th Combat Camera:5/29/14
The 2nd Parachute Regiment is a highly decorated one with its most recent combat experience in Mali.
The only airborne regiment of the French Foreign Legion. Created in Sétif in October 1948, it has been stationed at Camp Raffalli near the town of Calvi on the island of Corsica since it moved from Bou-Sfer, Algeria, in 1967. During its history, the 2e REP integrated men of the two other Legion airborne regiments, the disbanded 3e REP and 1er REP. The 2e REP is well-known around the world for its participation in the Battle of Kolwezi in May 1978.
For a history of the regiment:
http://foreignlegion.info/history/2rep/
08/05/2014: ST JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda – Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Coast Guard members conduct a simulated plane crash and mass casualty exercise in Winthorpes Bay during Tradewinds 2014, June 4.
The exercise tested the ABDF Coast Guard’s ability to respond to a plane crash in the bay. Tradewinds is a joint, combined exercise conducted in conjunction with partner nations to enhance the collective abilities of defense forces and constabularies to counter transnational organized crime and to conduct humanitarian/disaster relief operations.
Credit: U.S. Coast Guard District 1:6/4/14
08/03/2014: The Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2014, or RIMPAC, comes to a close after more than a month of exercises involving 22 nations and more than 25,000 personnel.
Transparency was a much highlighted quality for the exercise, and the PRC had its own version of transparency on display with regard to all of the allies and partners and with its own form of selective multinational participation: if I don’t like you, I don’t play.
One might note that the Chinese contribution to transparency is to make clear their politics and intentions:
Refusing to participate in an exercise commanded by a Japanese officer and including their intelligence assets wherever they go.
A great way to build partnership capacity or put another way with partners like this who needs enemies!
And to correct the video, China and Brunei were not the only new first time participants: the Indians for the first time brought a warship to US waters and the Norwegians came from Europe.
Credit Video: INSERT HERE
DOD News
8/01/14
And according to a story by Nathan King:
August 1, 2014
It was the biggest ever Rim of the Pacific exercises, with first-time participation from Beijing that included the missile destroyer the Haikou conducting live fire drills, and the hospital ship the Peace Ark demonstrating its humanitarian capabilities.
The 1,100 Chinese sailors in Hawaii were able to rub shoulders with their American counterparts and many from the Asia Pacific region, Latin America and beyond.
It was also a chance for the U.S. to show off its military hardware like the aircraft carrier the Ronald Reagan and its array of military jets. And while RIMPAC’s aim to increase trust and transparency among the navies was met during the month-long drill, according to U.S. and Chinese officials, suspicions remain.
The U.S. announced it spotted a Chinese surveillance ship during the exercises not far from the Reagan and while authorities admitted it was not a maritime violation, the chief commander of U.S. Pacific Command put it this way.
It’s worth noting the U.S. often uses its surveillance ships inside Chinese waters and despite continued strategic differences over the South China Sea, both China and the U.S. hailed the Rim of the Pacific drill as a way to increase cooperation and decrease tensions.
In fact, China has been invited back to the next international RIMPAC exercises in 2016 and has been asked to bring even more military assets. CCTV America’s Nathan King reports from Washington.
RIMPAC is coming to an end. RIMPAC stands for Rim of the Pacific exercise, lasted for 37 days in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
It was the first time for China to participate in the drills. China and the U.S. were among 22 nations that took part. The drills involved live-fire practice, drills on humanitarian-aid delivery, and war gaming. RIMPAC’s aim was to increase trust and transparency among participating navies.