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Strength Through Friendship in COBRA GOLD 2007

India-Japan-U.S. Forces Train at Sea in MALABAR/TRILATEX 2007

Enhancing the Australia-U.S. Military Alliance in TALISMAN SABER 2007

Perspectives  ::

PACOM: Moving the Throttle Forward in the Pacific

Humanitarian Assistance  ::

Indonesian and U.S. Armies Promote Regional Stability in GARUDA SHIELD 2007

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Bridging Borders Through Military Medicine

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Happenings

India-Japan-U.S. Forces Train at Sea in MALABAR/TRILATEX 2007
Compiled by Asia-Pacific Defense FORUM Staff

Compiled by Asia-Pacific Defense FORUM Staff from press releases by Seventh Fleet Public Affairs; Commander, Task Force 70 Public Affairs; and PO1 John L. Beeman, USN, who is assigned to Seventh Fleet Public Affairs.

Occurring in conjunction with an Indian Navy port visit to Yokosuka, Japan, Exercise MALABAR 2007 between the Indian and U.S. Navies took place off the coast of Okinawa in April 2007. It was immediately followed by TRILATEX 2007, the first naval exercise with ships and aircraft from the Indian Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the U.S. Navy.

Indian vessels and aircraft for both exercises included the guided missile destroyers INS Mysore (DDG 60), INS Rana (DDG 52), and INS Ranjit (DDG 53); auxiliary INS Jyoti (AO 58); corvette INS Kutha (P 46); a Chetak helicopter; and a Sea King helicopter.

Japanese ships participating in TRILATEX 2007 included guided missile destroyer JS Kirishima (DDG 174); destroyers JS Ikazuchi (DD 107), JS Murasame (DD 101), and JS Takanami (DD 110); and three SH-60K helicopters.

Participating U.S. Navy ships and aircraft for both exercises included guided missile destroyers USS John S. McCain(DDG 56), USS Mustin (DDG 89), USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54), USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), and USS Stethem (DDG 63); guided missile frigate USS Gar y (FFG 51);submarine USS Greenville (SSN 772); three SH-60Bs helicopters; one SH-60F helicopter; and a P-3C Orion maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.

MALABAR 2007-1
MALABAR 2007 increased interoperability between the Indian and U.S. Navies. The exercise also enhanced the cooperative security relationship between the two countries. The at-sea training involved sea control operations, maritime interdiction, and maritime operations. In addition, the participants conducted personnel exchanges and professional discussions both at sea and ashore.

During MALABAR 2007, the two nations’ ships worked together in a variety of functional skill areas, including visit, board, search and seizure exercises; formation steaming; coordinated surface fire support; air defense exercises; and antisubmarine warfare training. This was the ninth iteration of the MALABAR exercise series, last held in September 2006 off the coast of India.

Before the exercise, the Commander of the Indian Navy Eastern Fleet, Rear Adm. Robin Dhowan, and the Commander  Destroyer Squadron 15, U.S. Navy Commodore Robert P. Girrier, along with the commanding and operations officers from participating ships, met aboard INS Mysore in early April to plan the details of the exercise.

Commenting on the upcoming exercise, Rear Adm. Dhowan said, “What makes this year’s exercise unique is that we have the opportunity to come down into the Okinawa operational area, as opposed to the U.S. ships coming down and exercising in our area. So this makes this year’s exercise truly unique and we are very happy to be here and mix around with your ships and interact over the coming few days.”

“This [exercise] flows from what we did last year,” said Commodore Girrier. “And we certainly hope this will increase in both scope and magnitude as we move on to increase focus and progress in other areas beyond tactics, and beyond exercise centric, to perhaps operational or even strategic areas of cooperation.”

During the exercise, Indian and U.S. Navy radio operators traded places to handle tactical communication aboard USS Mustin and INS Mysore throughout the exercise. Tactical radio operators and equipment from INS Rana were brought aboard Mustin, and information systems technicians from Mustin went aboard INS Mysore with their communication equipment.

“As soon as my Indian counterpart gives me the information, I pass it on to the captain, then the tactical action officer. Then, if I need to, I maneuver the ship or make decisions based on the information given,” said U.S. Navy Ensign Justin Whipple.

“Basically it’s [the sailor exchange] to get us familiar with the way each Navy operates,” said U.S. Navy PO2 Justin Johnson. “There are always some communications conflicts between two different navies, so this way it provides better mission effectiveness when we operate at the same level.”

Indian Navy Leading Radio Operator (Tactical) Akhilesh K. Nair, who was aboard USS Mustin and used the equipment to communicate with INS Ranjit and INS Mysore, told his counterpart, “You work the same way that we do. Only the watch keeping roster is different.”

TRILATEX 2007
TRILATEX 2007 off the western coast of Japan gave senior leaders and ship and aircraft crews of all three nations a chance to work on air defense, sea surveillance, and communications interoperability.

Before the exercise began, Rear Adm. Dhowan noted, “During the upcoming trilateral exercise ... the most powerful democracy, the most populous democracy and the most prosperous democracy will come together to promote interoperability.”

Conclusion
“Exercises like TRILATEX are very important for our respective navies because when we understand each other’s capabilities, we can work together,” said the Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, Vice Adm. William Douglas Crowder. “This comes on the heels of another successful exercise between India and the United States – MALABAR 07 – and will surely not be the last between our great navies. I look forward to further interaction with my friends in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Indian Navy.”

E-mail: apdforum@apan-info.net