Back to my comments on the maritime side of operations. HMS
Bulwark has returned home after her long and varied deployment.
From Defence News
During the deployment, the unique Commando Assault ship has developed an entirely new way of operating to protect the vital oil infrastructure in Iraqi waters and to keep the troubled waters off Somalia safe for the millions of tonnes of shipping that passes through.
The ship’s eight landing craft have also been detached up to 150 miles away from the ship for extended periods enabling ‘Formation Bulwark’ to cover an unprecedented area of sea, forcing terrorists and other maritime criminals to re-assess their intentions in these waters.
At the same time the ship has experimented in deploying training teams of Commandos and sailors to up to six countries at a time in East Africa and Arabia, some times up to 4,000 miles away from the ship, so that they can train regional forces to be better able to take on security duties themselves.
That was before Lebanon.