TAURUS 09, the biggest Royal Navy's sea deployment of recent years

Thursday, Mar 19, 2009

Under the clear blue skies of the Mediterranean, the eleven ships of the Royal Navy's TAURUS 09 deployment lined up in a rare display of might.

HMS Bulwark, the flagship of the deployment, has led the Task Group through the Mediterranean towards the final stages of part one of this six- month deployment, the biggest Royal Navy sea deployment of recent years.

Phase one of the TAURUS 09 deployment has already seen the Task Force take part in Exercise Cyprus Wader which saw some of the Royal Navy's biggest ships rehearse the projection of Land Forces and their equipment ashore in Cyprus using both surface and aviation assets.

It will culminate in a series of amphibious landings in Turkey as part of Exercise Egemen - a joint and combined exercise - before moving on to Phase Two where the Task Group will sail through the Suez Canal, culminating in a multi-national training package in the primary jungles of Brunei.

Riverine training will also be conducted with the Bangladeshi Navy; the first such interaction in more than a decade.

The TAURUS 09 Task Group sailed from the UK in February. It aims to maintain the Royal Navy's fighting capability as well as develop the UK's capacity to operate with key partners and allies from NATO countries and other nations, enhancing interoperability and demonstrating the UK's commitment to the stability and security of the Mediterranean, Middle East and South East Asia.

In exercising its ability to deploy globally, the Task Group is conducting a wide range of activities, including maritime security operations, and exercising amphibious and anti-submarine warfare.

Source: Defense Professionals