German Navy plans to send a frigate to the Indian Ocean

The German navy plans to send its frigate “Hamburg” to the Indian Ocean in June to conduct port visits and participate in a regional, naval meeting on the French island of Réunion, the service announced on March 12.

The air-defense frigate will begin its journey in May with interceptor test-firings off the coast of Norway. It is then scheduled to steam towards the Indian Ocean for a five-months training mission.

In late June, a visit at Réunions’s Indian Ocean Naval Symposium is on the agenda, followed by a trip to Australia and various port visits and exercises along the way, the German defense ministry announced.

The planned Hamburg deployment comes as Germany’s defense leaders are testing the waters for new engagements far from home. The sea service, especially, is seen here as a potential signal for the type of out-of-area missions that the homeland defense-focused German military wants to expand to underwrite its geopolitical ambitions.

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