Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel will visit Gibraltar early next week making use of Gibraltar’s important facilities as a forward mounting base.

Cougar 13 is a long planned routine Royal Navy Response Force Task Group (RFTG) deployment which will see ships transit through the Mediterranean and Adriatic.  The deployment takes place annually and this is the third time following the successes of Cougar ’11 and Cougar ’12.

The RFTG was formed as a result of 2010’s Strategic Defence and Security Review and is at the heart of the UK's maritime contingent capability, held at very high readiness to respond to unexpected global events.

HMS WESTMINSTER, RFA LYME BAY and RFA MOUNTS BAY will arrive in Gibraltar Naval Base on Monday morning.

After a number of planned port visits in the Mediterranean, the first major exercise for the force will be Albanian Lion, in the Adriatic. UK personnel will work with Albania’s armed forces, building on a similar exercise last year, with the goal to put the Lead Commando Group ashore within a high tempo scenario and sustain it as it moves inland.

The ships will then sail through the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and Gulf where the focus will transfer to a series of exercises with UK allies in the Gulf region; alongside Army and RAF units. 

The deployment is being directed from the flagship, HMS BULWARK, by Commodore Paddy McAlpine, Commander UK Task Group and Commander 3 Commando Brigade, Brigadier Stuart Birrell.

(Pic courtesy: Tony Hisgett)