U.K. Royal Navy

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson Pledges $32B Military Build-Up

Image of the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson giving the thumbs up outside No10 Downing Street London, after buying his Poppy from Armed Forces Poppy sellers today 23/10/2020.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday committed the British government to an expansion of defense spending that confirms London’s ambitions about improving the Royal Navy through the middle of the century.

The pledge of about £24.1 billion — or just under $32 billion — supports Johnson’s vision of what he calls a freer and...

Navy Focused on Strengthening Networks to Support Unmanned Operations

Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VX-1) Sailors Aviation Machinist’s Mate Second Class Salvatore Green, left, and Aviation Electronics Technician Third Class Jake Price prepare the MC-8C Fire Scout to launch from the Independence variant littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS-4) on June 21, 2018. VX-1 Sailors embarked Coronado to conduct the first comprehensive Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) for the MQ-8C Fire Scout, the Navy’s newest unmanned helicopter. US Navy photo.

As the...

https://news.usni.org/2020/10/27/navy-focused-on-strengthening-networks-to-support-unmanned-operations

Russian Navy Seen Escorting Iranian Tankers Bound for Syria

HI Sutton Image used with permission

Last week, the Iranian-flagged oil tanker Samah entered the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. After a few miles, the 900-foot-long ship stopped reporting its position and destination. Evidence suggests the ship sailed to Syria, escorted by two Russian Navy ships, including a destroyer.

Russia’s role in protecting the shipment may change the dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean. In the past, Iranian tankers sailing to Syria have been intercepted by the...

https://news.usni.org/2020/10/21/russian-navy-seen-escorting-iranian-tankers-bound-for-syria

U.K. Royal Navy Dispatching Survey Ship to Aid in Lebanon Crisis, CENTCOM Sending Supplies

Undated image of HMS Enterprise underway. Royal Navy Photo

The U.K. Royal Navy plans to send one of its survey vessels to assist Lebanon following a deadly explosion in its capital city’s port.

HMS Enterprise (H-88) will support in evaluating the destruction caused by the recent explosion, the U.K.’s defense secretary said today.

“At the request of the Lebanese Government I have authorized the sending of HMS Enterprise to help survey the Port of Beirut, assessing the damage and supporting Lebanon...

https://news.usni.org/2020/08/06/u-k-royal-navy-dispatching-survey-ship-to-aid-in-lebanon-crisis-centcom-sending-supplies

U.S., U.K. Surface Warships Patrol Barents Sea For First Time Since the 1980s

The Duke-class frigate HMS Kent (F78) takes part in a replenishment-at-sea with Supply-class fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE-6) whilst on exercise with the U.S. Navy in the Arctic Circle. The exercises have been taking place in the Arctic Circle where, with added wind chill, the temperatures plummeted to a jarring minus 10 degrees centigrade. UK Royal Navy photo.

The U.S. Navy surface force is operating in the Barents Sea for the first time since the Cold War, further expanding its...

https://news.usni.org/2020/05/04/u-s-u-k-surface-warships-patrol-barents-sea-for-first-time-since-the-1980s

U.K. Royal Navy Takes Lead in Persian Gulf Shipping Protection Mission

MANAMA, Bahrain (Jan. 30, 2020) Rear Adm. Alvin Holsey (left), commander of the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), salutes Royal Navy Commodore James Parkin (right) during a change of command ceremony for the IMSC. Holsey was relieved by Parkin during the ceremony. U.S. Navy

THE PENTAGON – The U.K. Royal Navy is now leading the international effort to protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman following a change of command ceremony...

https://news.usni.org/2020/01/30/u-k-royal-navy-takes-lead-in-persian-gulf-shipping-protection-mission

U.K. Royal Navy to Escort Tankers In Strait of Hormuz; U.S. Providing Intel

HMS Defender seen here with the dhow in the foreground, flanked by two Royal Marine Boarding Teams in 2016. Royal Navy Photo

The United Kingdom’s Royal Navy will escort British vessels through the Strait of Hormuz as tensions in the region remain elevated following a U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general.

Several media outlets reported the Royal Navy’s plan to protect UK-flagged ships. HMS Montrose (F236), a Duke-class Type 23 frigate, and HMS Defender (D36 ), a Daring-class Type...

https://news.usni.org/2020/01/06/u-k-royal-navy-to-escort-tankers-in-strait-of-hormuz-u-s-providing-intel

Top Stories 2019: International Operations

Undated photo of Russian AGI Viktor Leonov.

This post is part of a series of review stories looking back at the top naval news from 2019.

The U.S. Navy pushed its interoperability with foreign allies and partner nations in 2019 to counter increased naval activity by Russia and China.

China and Russia, though, did not sit still during the year. Each nation’s navy took great strides in attempting to bolster their fleets. The work to increase capabilities, though, was not smooth, as Russia’s and...

https://news.usni.org/2019/12/25/top-stories-2019-international-operations

Royal Navy Intends HMS Queen Elizabeth to be Integrated into U.S. Carrier Operations

HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08)

HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) in the Chesapeake Bay outside Annapolis, 21 November 2019. USNI News photo

ABOARD HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY — The U.K. Royal Navy intends its largest, most advanced warship ever built to be considered interchangeable with U.S. Navy carriers, its top admiral said on Thursday.

HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) is indicative of both Great Britain’s return to carrier-based fixed-wing flight operations after a decade’s absence and the strength of its cross Atlantic...

https://news.usni.org/2019/11/21/royal-navy-intends-hms-queen-elizabeth-to-be-integrated-into-u-s-carrier-operations

+ More