NATO’s SNMG2 takes shape

EGV Bonn and HMCS Fredericton as seen from the speedboat. Image:2016

German Navy’s combat support ship EGV Bonn, together with the Italian frigate ITS Libeccio and the Canadian frigate HMCS Fredericton, headed for the eastern Mediterranean. Turkish frigate TCG Barbaros joined them in Aksaz, Turkey.

The group conducted a range of drills before and after their port call in Aksaz. The drills included replenishment at sea exercises and helicopter landings.

[November 15 2015  France.s only carrier to Eastern Med ]

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Charles de Gaulle (R91) can hold up to 40 aircraft and support 100 flights a day. - The aircraft carrier has already been deployed against IS. The ship - France's only such vessel - was used as a base for French jets in the Gulf from February to April. The Charles de Gaulle carrier is usually accompanied by several frigates, a refuelling ship and an attack submarine

 French nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) has entered the Persian Gulf and could soon start strike missions against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL) France said on February 20.The ship entered crossed the Strait of Hormuz and entered the region on Feb. 15 after completing operations in the Gulf of Aden and is set to join USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) in conducting airstrikes. [Mosul?]

“They’re in the [Persian] Gulf,” a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) ,
“They haven’t gone operational yet but they probably will soon.”   French president François Hollande announced the mission on Jan. 14, a week after the attacks in Paris on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.   During his remarks in Toulon, Hollande said the attacks, “justifies the presence of our aircraft carrier.”

[January 12 

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;Charles de Gaulle (R91) will deploy to the Persian Gulf to strengthen the French contingent already fighting ISIS in the region,   The aircraft carrier would operate in the Gulf on its way to India, where the French Navy’s flagship is scheduled to take part in drills in mid-April and the deployment is set to be announced by President Francois Hollande on Jan. 14, during the annual New Year’s speech to the armed forces.   . It is a CATOBAR-type carrier that uses two 75 m C13‑3 steam catapults of a shorter version of the catapult system installed on the U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, one catapult at the bow and one across the front of the landing area.   The addition of Charles de Gaulle would add up to another 30 aircraft to France's commitment to operations

[September 16 2014 USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77):: airstrikes against Sinjar and against SW of Baghdad]

F/A-18C Hornet launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) on Sept. 10. The strikes destroyed six ISIL vehicles near Sinjar and an ISIL fighting position southwest of Baghdad that was firing on ISF personnel. All aircraft exited the strike areas safely.

August 4:There are reports of significant displacement from Sinjar City and surrounding areas to Jebel Sinjar (Sinjar Mountain) and areas predominantly to the west and north of Sinjar, with some displacement to the east as well. The exact number of displaced people on Jebel Sinjar is unknown; however reports indicate that some 35-50,000 people displaced in nine locations, reportedly surrounded by ISIS armed elements.

“The airstrike southwest of Baghdad was the first strike taken as part of our expanded efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions to hit ISIL targets as Iraqi forces go on offense."   The US air strike was against IS fighters in the Sadr al-Yusufiyah area, 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Baghdad, 

Russia confirms submarine Rostov-on-Don fired cruise missiles at Raqqa

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on December 8 that Russia had for the first time struck Islamic State targets in Syria with missiles fired from a submarine in the Mediterranean.

"The targets were two large terrorist positions in the territory of Raqqa," Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting, adding that the Calibre missiles had been fired from the submarine Rostov-on-Don.

November 19 Varshavyanka-class sub strikes at Raqqa with cruise missiles
19 2015 15:01

Cruise missiles were launched from the diesel-electric submarine «Rostov-on-don». However, the Kremlin denied these reports.

The Varshavyanka-class (Project 636), an improved version of the Kilo-class submarines, features advanced stealth technology, extended combat range and provides the ability to strike land, surface and underwater targets.   Designed for anti-shipping and anti-submarine missions in relatively shallow waters, the submarines can cruise underwater at a speed of 20k and has a cruising range of 400 miles.

Capable of accommodating a crew of 52, the submarines can patrol for 45 days and are armed with 18 torpedoes and eight surface-to-air missiles.

«I think the mere presence of these forces in the Eastern Mediterranean will not only be sober adversary, but will also force ISIS to make serious conclusions. When they see what power they are opposed, they will realize that it is pointless to do what they are doing now», — said the former commander of Northern fleet Admiral Vyacheslav Popov

[November 17 Russia strikes at Raqqa with cruise missiles from Med

Russian missile cruiser Moskva is moored in the Crimean Black Sea port of Sevastopol on May 10, 2013,   A variety of ships, including the Moskva, were reported to have left from Russia's Sevastopol port in Crimea September 25, according to the independent Turkish ship-spotting blog Bosphorus Naval News.

Two U.S. defense officials say Russia has attacked Raqqa, the Islamic State group's self-declared capital in Syria, with cruise missiles and bombs on Tuesday.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss non-U.S. military operations. They provided no details on targets or the scale or outcome of the attacks.

One of the officials said the Russians gave the U.S. prior notification of the attacks by communicating with the U.S.-led coalition's air operations center at al-Udeid air base in Qatar. The official said this was in accordance with protocols worked out by U.S. and Russian officials in October

Grad Sviyazhsk and Uglich, are the first in the new Buyan-M class

[October 8 Russian Navy launches cruise missiles at Jaish al-Fatah, rather than on the Islamic State]

Moscow said it had fired 26 cruise missiles at Syrian targets from naval vessels in the Caspian Sea, 900 miles away, using a  Gepard-class frigate Dagestan and the Buyan-M-class corvettes Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich and Veliky Ustyug. They’re armed with Kalibr-NK launchers.

[September 23 2014] DDG launch of Tomahawk Land-Attack Missiles (TLAM) against ISIL targets]

Guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58)

Published on Sep 23, 2014
RED SEA (Sept 23, 2014) The guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) launches Tomahawk Land-Attack Missiles (TLAM) against ISIL targets. Arleigh Burke is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.







Published on Sep 23, 2014
ARABIAN GULF (Sept. 23, 2014) The guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) launches Tomahawk Land-Attack Missiles (TLAM) against ISIL targets. Philippine Sea is deployed as part of the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) Carrier Strike Group supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.





More than a dozen airstrikes have hit Islamic State military targets and administrative buildings in Aleppo and Raqqa provinces in the north as well as al Qaeda's official arm in the country, al Nusra Front in the northwestern city of Idlib.

[March 20 2011 Trafalgar: class submarine fire RN Tomahawks]


The UK has launched guided Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM) from a Trafalgar Class submarine as part of a co-ordinated coalition plan to enforce the UN resolution on Libya.
A UK submarine is understood to have been stationed in the Mediterranean for some time without being detected.