First Look

Bold Monarch-2008: The Northern Fleet rescue ship "German Titov" is participating in the NATO exercise "Bold Monarch-2008" off the coast of Norway from 23 May until 07 June. According to Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo the goal of the exercise is to test joint NATO and Russian Navy rescue systems and to organize cooperation during rescue operations. Rescue ships from Great Britain and the United States will participate as well as submarines from the Netherlands, Poland and Norway. Additionally, the Dutch rescue ship "Mercury", the Polish diving ship "Lex" and the Norweagian vessel "Tir" will participate. The Dutch destroyer "Rotterdam" will play the role of control ship". Minesweepers from Canada and Norway will maintain range security. Around 40 countries will send observers. During the operation the "Titov" will use the AS-34 rescue apparatus to mate with the notional stricken submarine.

Minister of Defense visits Vilyuchinsk: The Minister of Defense Anatoliy Serdyukov met with the Commander in Chief of the Navy and the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet in the closed military city of Vilyuchinsk Submarine Base on Kamchatka. The goal of the meeting was not released to the press.

Comment: I bet this has to do with the improvements made to the base in the last few years in anticipation of basing the almost ready for sea Yuri Dolgoruky there.

Final plans for "Northern Eagle-2008" have been finalized in Murmansk: The goal of the exercises are to work out the issues of operational cooperation between the Russian, Norwegian and American Navies. Special attention will be paid to habituating Russian, American and Norwegian sailors to joint operations at sea.
Elements of the training will be inspection operations and antiterrorist operations at sea.