At
his welcoming address, Singapore’s Commander of Coastal Command,
Col. Kevin Santa-Maria, highlighted the degree of cooperation that went
into organizing a multilateral exercise involving so many different navies.
He said, “the main factor that contributed to materialization . .
. was the ability of the participants to cooperate with one another and
put aside their own preferences.” He noted, “Many compromises
were made and a give-and-take attitude was always prevalent.”
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Naval
officers from 13 foreign countries aboard the USS Inchon (MCS-12)
observe a demonstration of U.S. Navy minesweeping techniques by
an MH-53E helicopter. Participants were from: Australia, China,
France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Papua
New Guinea, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
PHOTO BY PH2 ERIN A. ZOCCO, USN |
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A
Singapore Air Force Super Puma helicopter (below) and an Indonesian
Navy NB-105 reconnaissance helicopter (left) conduct deck landing
qualifications aboard the USS Inchon (MCS-12) during MCMEX 2001. PHOTOS BY PH2 AARON L. LANE, USN |
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