Five ships from Australia, Japan, Canada and the U.S. met in the South China Sea on June 8 for two days of maneuvers and exercises. The exercise included JMSDF destroyers Izumo and Sazanami, RCN frigate HMCS Winnipeg, Australian frigate Ballarat and US destroyer Sterett. During the exercise, the shi
Two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers flew a 10-hour mission from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to train with the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) in the South China Sea on June 8. The joint training was organized under Pacific Command’s continuous bomber pre
The U.S. and Royal Thai Navy concluded eight days of bilateral training events ashore and at sea and wrapped up the 2017 edition of the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise on June 6. This is the 23rd-annual CARAT exercise and the Royal Thai Navy has been a participant in the s
Almost exactly a month after visiting Japan, U.S. Navy’s Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Cheyenne (SSN 773) arrived in Busan, Republic of Korea (ROK) for a port visit on June 6. Both port calls are part of the submarine’s regularly scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific but come at a tim
U.S. Navy’s San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD 20) departed its forward-deployed base of Sasebo, Japan on June 2, becoming the final ship in the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group to set sail on a routine deployment in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. The amphibious ships, tog
U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) departed her forward-deployed base of Sasebo, Japan, on June 1 to start her scheduled patrol in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Bonhomme Richard and the Okinawa-based Marines of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) are scheduled for
U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) returned to its forward-deployed base at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, on May 28. Stethem departed Yokosuka in January to begin its 2017 patrol in the Western Pacific. “Over the past four months, our operations provide
The Indian Navy’s guided missile frigate INS Ganga sailed under her own power one last time on May 27 as she entered the Mumbai harbor ahead of decommissioning. On May 28, Ganga was placed in the non-operational category and will likely be decommissioned before the end of the year, the Indian Navy s
The U.S. Coast Guard transferred the former high endurance cutter Morgenthau to the Vietnam coast guard during a ceremony in Honolulu, on May 25. The former U.S. Coast Guard cutter will be renamed CSB 8020 and is expected to improve the Vietnam coast guard’s maritime domain awareness, increase its c
USS Ronald Reagan’s carrier air wing completed carrier qualifications aboard the aircraft carrier on May 22. More than 100 pilots in more than 60 aircraft from nine squadrons based out of Naval Air Facility Atsugi and Iwakuni, Japan, completed almost 700 events, including more than 200 touch and goe
The navies of Republic of Singapore and India concluded their bilateral maritime exercise SIMBEX on May 24. Hosted by Singapore, the exercise started on May 24 at Changi Naval Base RSS Singapura with the at sea phase taking place in the South China Sea. This year’s exercise was the 24th iteration of
The U.S. Navy ordered one of its destroyers to challenge China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea by sailing within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese artificially built island. According to Reuters, Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Dewey sailed near a disputed reef in the Spratly Islands over
The Indian Navy has awarded Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) a $630 million contract for the delivery of LRSAM air and missile defense systems for four Indian Navy ships, the Israeli company announced on Sunday. LRSAM is an air and missile defense system under joint development by IAI and India’s D
The U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) pulled into the port of Shimoda, Japan, May 18, to celebrate the 78th annual Black Ship Festival. The festival commemorates the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry and his ‘Black Ships’ in July 1853, and the signing of the
