A look at the Defence news 27 January – 2 February
Assess the maritime security situation in the Strait of Hormuz. This is the assignment with which Royal Netherlands Navy ship HNLMS De Ruyter left Den Helder for the Persian Gulf. It will remain there until June as part of a European security mission.
The Strait of Hormuz is a maritime territory of economic importance because it is the only sea route for the transportation of oil from the Gulf region to the rest of the world.
The official name of the mission is European-led Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASHO). It is being led by France and Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy and Portugal are also contributing.
The objective of these European countries is to prevent incidents at sea. Last year, serious incidents took place in the region. 6 oil tankers were severely damaged and 2 were detained. In addition to this military maritime deployment, there is also a diplomatic aspect to the mission.
Military personnel return from deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan
Nearly 40 marines and a number of commandos who were deployed to the cities of Erbil and Baghdad in Iraq landed at Eindhoven Air Base this afternoon following a four-month deployment. The tasks they were responsible for have since been handed over. For example, soldiers from the Airmobile Brigade are training Iraqi-Kurdish forces for the fight against IS on land. In Baghdad, a new team of commandos is training Iraqi Special Forces. A C-17 military transport aircraft picked up the returning military personnel.