Australian Anzac-class Frigate Works with French Task Force

05/28/2021
By Leading Seaman Jarrod Mulvihill HMAS Parramatta has joined French Navy Marine Nationale vessels FS Tonnerre and FS Surcouf — operating as the Jeanne d’Arc Task Group — to complete a cooperative passage through the South China Sea. The Sydney-based Anzac class frigate had recently completed the Japan-led Exercise Arc21 with Tonnerre and Surcouf also taking part. The three ships conducted a range…

Croatia Selects the Rafale Fighter Jet: France Highlights European Sovereignty as Key

05/28/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - Croatia has opted to order 12 second hand Rafale fighter jets in a deal which points up the significance of European sovereignty, the French armed forces ministry said in a statement. “Croatia’s choice is a choice of sovereignty, resolutely European,” armed forces minister Florence Parly…

Unmanned Integrated Battle Problem 21: Shaping a Way Ahead

05/27/2021
By Robbin Laird Recently, 3rd Fleet completed what it called its “Unmanned Integrated Battle Problem 21” exercise. Here the Navy was able to work with a number of different companies bringing either their maritime remotes or autonomous systems to be seen and tested in a number of mission areas. To…

Shaping a Way Ahead for North Atlantic Defense: The Perspective of VADM Lewis

05/26/2021
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake With the strategic shift from the land wars, and meeting the evolving Russian challenges, Admiral Richardson, then the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), directed the re-establishment of the U.S. 2nd Fleet in 2018. He put VADM Lewis in charge of the command, but it…

Exercise Arnhem Thunder

05/25/2021
By Flight Lieutenant Robert Cochran Air Force has deployed approximately 50 aircraft and over 500 personnel to the Northern Territory for Exercise Arnhem Thunder 21. As one of Air Force’s largest domestic training exercises for 2021, Arnhem Thunder provides important force generation training, focusing on high-end collective training and involving multiple…

Osprey Works with Royal Navy Auxiliary Fleet

05/24/2021
According to an article published on May 19, 2021 by the Royal Navy, an Osprey aircraft operated with the RFA Mounts Bay in a historic first operation. Amphibious ship RFA Mounts Bay has become the first Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel to operate with the US military’s unique Osprey ‘tiltrotor’ aircraft…

The Allied JFC Norfolk: Second Fleet’s Portal to NATO Navies

05/23/2021
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake As the U.S. Navy works its 21st century approach to fighting as a distributed but integrated fleet, a key element of success in doing so will be its ability to work more effectively with allied navies as they evolve as well.  As the maritime…