The Italian Navy destroyer Francesco Mimbelli and her crew of 400 left Taranto harbor for the Gulf of Aden, joining the French Navy's Aconit and the Spanish Navy's Canarias as a European squadron that will join the USS Mount Whitney at the end of the month. Along with the assets already in place, the Allies will have a floating naval warfare laboratory with which to work out their multinational tactics.

Francesco Mimbelli (D561) is a 5,000 ton,  multi-role warship commissioned in 1993. She can protect task forces and convoys with anti-aircraft fire, or perform anti-submarine and surface warfare operations (such as landing operations assistance and coastal bombardment). The 3,900 ton Canarias (F86) is  a Spanish modification of the US Navy's Perry-class FFG, launched in 1995, typically used as an aircraft carrier escort. The Aconit (F713) is a 3,500 ton La Fayette class multipurpose stealth frigate, with a complement of 15 officers, 85 petty officers and 53 sailors. The La Fayette-class frigates are the world's first operational warship designed from the keel up for stealth and survivability, specifically to operate with multinational task forces. - Adam Geibel