After concluding a two-day visit to Indonesia on September 16, US Navy’s littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) kicked off maritime training with Royal Malaysian Navy at Lumut Naval Base, September 18.
Maritime Training Activity (MTA) Malaysia will see nearly 300 U.S. and Malaysian sailors aboard the littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4), Kasturi-class corvette KD Lekir (F26) and Lekiu-class frigate KD Lekiu (F30) participating in the exercise.
“The U.S. and Royal Malaysian Navy maintains a close and unique partnership that continues to grow and evolve with each bilateral and multilateral exercise,” said Capt. Matthew Jerbi, deputy commodore of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7. “MTA Malaysia is just one of many opportunities for both navies to work closely together towards cooperatively ensuring regional maritime security and stability.”
The exercise involves both an ashore and at-sea phase, demonstrating both navies’ commitment to applying learned techniques and tactics while operating together out at sea. Sailors from both navies will engage in visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) trainings, division tactics (DIVTACS) to enhance cooperative fleet maneuvers, a gunnery exercise, flight operations with the U.S. Navy’s MH-60S and Royal Malaysian Navy’s Super Lynx helicopters, and a search and rescue exercise (SAREX).
USS Coronado is operating in the Indo-Asia-Pacific engaging with navies across the region in exercises such as Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) with nine partner nations, exercise Pacific Griffin with Singapore, Maritime Training Activity (MTA) in Malaysia and the Philippines, and Naval Engagement Activity (NEA) in Vietnam.