Romanian navy frigate ROS Regina Maria (F 222) passes the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG-72) on July 11, 2014. US Navy Photo
The U.S. Navy has not yet tasked any of its surface ships to move closer to Ukraine following the suspected shoot down of Malaysian Airliners Flight 17 on Thursday, service officials told USNI News on Friday. Read More
USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) transits the Aegean Sea on July, 6 2014. US Navy Photo
A U.S. guided missile cruiser has left the Black Sea on Tuesday, leaving a collection of NATO ships to maintain an ongoing presence mission following Russia’s seizure of the Crimea region from Ukraine. Read More
German and American soldiers during a 2011 cyber warfare exercises. US Army Photo
Clarification: The article below has been clarified to include information on the Defense Department’s effort to bolster base cyber defense and cybersecurity measures within the networks of partner nations in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific region, based on additional comments by Maj. Gen. John Davis
The Pentagon’s cadre of cyberwarriors are working to bolster cyber security measures within civilian and military networks of individual countries, tagged by the Defense Department as being particularly susceptible to cyber attacks. Read More
US Air Force RC-135. US Air Force Photo
An American military surveillance aircraft barely escaped a deadly mid-air collision with a Russian fighter jet in the skies above the north Pacific, further inflaming tensions between the former Cold War adversaries. Read More
An undated photo of French Navy Frigate Surcouf.
A French frigate entered the Black Sea on Wednesday, growing the number of NATO surface warships in the region to three, according to a ship spotting blog and Russian press reports. Read More
USS Vella Gulf (CG-72) transits the Atlantic Ocean on March 19, 2014. US Navy Photo
A Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser will enter the Black Sea on Friday “to promote peace and stability in the region,” the Navy announced on Thursday. Read More
Chinese president Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin greet participants of Joint Sea-2014 exercise at Wusong naval port in Shanghai, east China, May 20, 2014. Xinhua Photo
The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and the Russian Navy kicked off a week of naval exercises in near Shanghai on Tuesday, according to Chinese and Russian press reports. Read More
Dupuy de Lôme
A French signals intelligence ship has reentered the Black Sea, according to several local media reports. Read More
Donbass residents vote in the referendum on the status of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. RIA/Novosti Photo
The referenda held Sunday in Ukrainian regions Donetsk and Luhansk have been denounced by many—but deserve cold, rational consideration. This is the prequel to the upcoming 25 May elections, conducted in a state of civil unrest—near civil war—in eastern Ukraine. Read More
USS Taylor (FFG-50) and the Turkish frigate TCG Turgutries (F-241) on May 11, 2014. US Navy Photo
The frigate assigned to operations in the Black Sea as part of a U.S. show of support to allies in the region has left, leaving no U.S. surface ships in the region, U.S. Navy officials told USNI News on Monday. Read More
