Military Sealift Command’s dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE 1) arrived at Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati, Oct. 24, as part of its continuing support of Exercise Koa Moana 15-3.
Exercise KM 15-3 is a four-month international exercise with participants from the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and host nation participants from various countries in the Pacific Island Nations of Oceania.
The first portion of the exercise was in the Tahiti, followed by a leg in Fiji where Marines conducted theater security cooperation (TSC) activities with those of host nation partners.
After Tarawa, the Lewis and Clark, which is also part of Maritime Prepositioning Ships Squadron TWO (MPSRON-2), will carry her personnel and cargo to Vanuatu for more TSC events, then finish off the exercise at Timor Leste in November. The Lewis and Clark is scheduled to return to its home port in early December.
Exercise Koa Moana 15-3 is a Marine Forces Pacific sponsored exercise designed to enhance senior military leader engagements between allied and partner nations with a collective interest in military-to-military relations; and to discuss key aspects of military operations, capability development, and interoperability.
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Image: US Navy