Nato Alliance News

Norwegian davit supplier Vestdavit has notched up a new annual sales record for another consecutive year after seeing its order intake surge by 76% in 2023 on high demand from the offshore wind and oil and gas sectors, as well as increased sales in its core naval market.Vestdavit has expanded its market position in offshore wind after both gaining new customers and winning repeat orders with existing clients, including Esvagt and Rem Offshore, with orders in this sector accounting for more than $9.4 million (NOK 100 million)…

The Dutch government on Friday said it would replace nearly its entire navy fleet in the coming 15 years, in a project worth several billion euros that it said would mainly benefit Dutch industry.A large part of the project would consist of the replacement of four air defense frigates, the government said, confirming an earlier report by RTL Nieuws.The government said it would work closely with Dutch industry in building the ships, with large roles for shipbuilder Damen and the Dutch arm of French defense company Thales, which would likely supply radar and missile guidance systems."This will s

Russian nuclear-powered submarines fired cruise missiles in the Arctic on Friday as part of military drills designed to test Moscow's readiness for a possible conflict in its icy northern waters, the defense ministry said.The drills, named Umka-2022, took place in the Chukchi Sea, an eastern stretch of the Arctic Ocean that separates Russia from the U.S. state of Alaska.Russia sees its vast Arctic territory as a vital strategic interest and has been building up its military capabilities in the region for years…

Naval and maritime experts will be convening in Helsinki, Finland, for the Littoral OpTech Baltic Sea workshop. The event will take place August 30 and 31 at the Finnish Naval Academy.The conference will examine the integration of multi-domain operations – to include air, land, surface, undersea, space and cyber—in the crowded and cluttered coastal waters and adjacent land, and will investigate the technology and operational concepts to successfully deal with conventional, irregular…

Germany signaled on Tuesday that it could halt the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia if Moscow invades Ukraine, and Western nations rallied behind Kyiv over a Russian troop buildup that has stoked fears of war.Stepping up diplomacy after talks with Russia ended in stalemate last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Kyiv on Wednesday before heading to Berlin to discuss "joint efforts to deter further Russian aggression against Ukraine" with German, British and French officials.As fears of conflict rose…

NATO Maritime Air (MARAIR) Operations team carried out a communications test flight with the NATO Alliance Ground System (AGS) during its flight on February 25, 2021.As the AGS was flying over the Central Mediterranean, MARAIR based out of NATO Maritime Command headquarters in Northwood, U.K. was able to establish a communications link to the AGS operators in the Sigonella Airbase, NATO Air Command and Combined Air Operations Center Torrejon.MARAIR was able to cross-reference the AGS sensor data with their automatic identification system (AIS) picture…

Britain will lead a multinational program to help train the Ukrainian navy, the Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday, seeking to bolster security in the region and improve Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia.Ukraine and Russia have been foes since 2014, when Moscow seized Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula and backed a rebellion in the east.

“Freedom” – the absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic governmentIt has been decades since international relations in the world order dictated true competition for sea control, sea lines of communication, access to world markets, and diplomatic partnerships. However, it is becoming increasingly alarming that nations such as Iran, China and Russia seek to accumulate/consolidate power and re-define international maritime norms, potentially at the peril of diplomatic…

In one a dramatic U.S. shipbuilding and repair move it was announced today that The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) and private equity firm Stellex Capital Management signed a definitive agreement to acquire and merge Vigor Industrial LLC, an infrastructure, defense, and maritime services company based in Portland, Oregon, and MHI Holdings LLC, a ship repair, maintenance, and other ship husbandry services company based in Norfolk, Virginia.The transaction, subject to customary closing conditions…

The German defence procurement agency said on Tuesday it has awarded a contract valued at nearly 2 billion euros ($2.4 billion) to a consortium of shipbuilders led by Lurrsen Werft for five new corvettes to be delivered from 2022 to 2025. The agency said the contract would give the German navy additional proven warships to keep up with its increased responsibilities within the NATO alliance. The consortium also includes Thyssenkrupp and German Naval Yards, which had undertaken legal action to be added to the group. In July Germany's competition regulator, the federal cartel office, said it would not block moves by Lurssen and Thyssenkrupp to expand the consortium after finding no evidence of antitrust concerns.

Britain is doubling its naval deployments to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in a move aimed a showing enemies that "we are ready to respond to any threat", the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has announced. Britain will play a bigger role in NATO maritime exercises and activities in 2016, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. The UK will reportedly send five extra ships to the Baltic and additional troops to be stationed on a rotational basis in six countries bordering Russia. A decision on the number of troops is expected to be taken at the NATO summit in the Polish capital, Warsaw, in the summer. "Increasing our Nato deployments sends a strong message to our enemies that we are ready to respond to any threat…

U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa hosted 23 distinguished visitors from multiple European countries aboard aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) as a part of the Navy's Distinguished Visitor (DV) Embark program, Oct. 30. The DV program is a unique experience that allows civilian and military guests board the ship while underway and experience the Navy's mission and witness carrier operations firsthand. The DVs included Lithuanian Minister of National Defense, Juozas Olekas; Latvian Minister of Defense, Raimonds Vejonis; Polish Undersecretary of State, Maciej Jankowski; Estonian Defense Forces Commander, Commander, Estonian Defense Forces, Maj. Gen. Riho Terras; and Spanish Fleet Commander in Chief, Adm. Santiago Bolibar.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) arrived at Naval Station Rota, Spain to begin her forward deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, June 16. Ross, departed Norfolk, Va., June 3, and is the second of four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers to be forward deployed to Rota, joining USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) which has been on station since February. "On the global and regional stage, we are allies, and we share a common interest in maintaining a Europe that is safe, secure and prosperous.

NATO disrupts pirate mother ship responsible for the attack on MV Montecristo. Following NATO's successful release of the pirated Italian merchant vessel, MV Montecristo, earlier last week, the naval units contributing to NATO's counter piracy operation succeeded in locating and disrupting the suspected pirate mother ship responsible for the attack. Successful coordination of military assets and information sharing amongst naval units operating in the region made it possible to locate the pirate dhow which was stopped whilst heading towards the Somali coast.

In the last few days the number of pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia has increased highlighting the fact that now the monsoon is weakening, the pirates are once again ready to attack merchant ships transiting through the Indian Ocean. MC Northwood's Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral Hank Ort (NLD N) states, "in the last few years, it has been the case that come October when the South West monsoon weakens, the pirates have been able to put to sea and we have seen the number of attacks on merchant vessels increase.

Suspected Somali pirates last week seized a German-owned cargo ship off the coast of the Gulf Arab state of Oman, the first recorded attack in its territorial waters, NATO alliance staff said on Friday, according to Reuters. The MV Charelle was reportedly attacked south of Sur on the Omani coast

Lockheed Martin announced today that Japan has purchased a seventh lot of Vertical Launch Antisubmarine (VLA) rockets valued at $59.8 million. Lockheed Martin will deliver the VLAs to Mitsubishi Corporation, Tokyo, in 2005 for transfer to Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force for use on Kongo- and Murasame-class ships. "The consecutive contracts awarded to us by Mitsubishi signify the important defense capability that VLAs provide the Japanese Maritime Self- Defense Force," said Al Barber, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Maritime Systems & Sensors business in Akron, OH. "Since 1997, we have been entrusted with providing a key system in Japan's antisubmarine warfare arsenal.

Eight ships belonging to the NATO southern forces docked at the Haifa port as part of the NATO Mediterranean dialog program. The ships will be the guests of the Israeli Navy from May 29-June 4. A press conference took place aboard the Spanish freighter after the ships docked, held by the commander of the NATO force, Brigadier General Teodoro Lopez-Calderon and the commander of the Israeli Naval base in Haifa, Brigadier General Yochai Ben-Yosef. Brig. Gen. Ben-Yosef welcomed the guests and noted that the visit marked another step in the advancing of the relationship between the IDF and NATO. The Israeli Navy and NATO forces are operate under shared values – making efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region…