Naval forces of the United States (US), Japan, Australia, and South Korea assembled in the waters off the coast of Guam on Saturday for the Pacific Vanguard maritime training exercise. The exercise involves more than 1,500 sailors from the four nations who will work together to “sharpen skills and strengthen practical cooperation at sea”. Though the US Navy has not said when the drill is expected to end, last year’s Pacific Vanguard lasted 11 days.
The exercise commenced on the heels of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) drills, which concluded on 31 August. The RIMPAC is the world’s largest naval exercise and is conducted near Hawaii. However, due to the coronavirus crisis, it had to be scaled down considerably this year to include only 10 nations.
On the other hand, this year’s Pacific Vanguard will see forces practicing a wide range of naval competencies, including combined maneuvers, surface warfare, live-fire exercises, anti-submarine warfare, and replenishment at sea. Cmdr. Christopher A. Gahl, commander of the guided-missile destroyer USS Barry, said that participation in Pacific Vanguard “provides realistic, relevant training that fosters each nation’s abilities to plan, communicate and conduct complex maritime operations together, at sea,” adding that “the United States, along with allies and partners, is committed to preserving stability and freedom of access to the global commons.”
The Navy also quoted the commander of the Australian Maritime Task Group, Capt. Phillipa Hay as saying that the drill would help “enhance interoperability” between key regional defense partners. Interoperability refers to the ability of one country’s armed forces to use another’s training methods and military equipment, as has been the US’s strategy to confront Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific.
Additionally, on Monday, almost 11,000 personnel from the US Indo-Pacific Command forces gathered near Guam and around the Mariana Islands Range Complex for the Valiant Shield (VS) exercise, to be held from 14-25 September. The drill includes USS Ronald Reagan, USS America, USS New Orleans, USS Germantown, along with multiple surface ships, and nearly 100 aircraft, and is a US-only exercise and covers more sophisticated warfighting systems and tactics.
“Exercises such as Valiant Shield allow US forces the opportunity to integrate warfighting concepts such as all-domain strike group operations in a joint high-end warfare training environment to continuously improve joint lethality,” Rear Adm. Michael Boyle, director of maritime operations at US Pacific Fleet, said in the news release. “It is vitally important that we demonstrate to our allies and partners our strong commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he added.
US Navy Conducts Naval Exercises With 3 Allies Near Guam
The Pacific Vanguard exercise includes naval forces of the US, Australia, South Korea, and Japan.
September 15, 2020
SOURCE: TWITTER (@IndoPac_Info)