The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Adelaide class guided-missile frigate HMAS Sydney (FFG 3), homeported in Sydney, arrived at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, May 6.
According to RAN, Sydney plans to embed with the George Washington Carrier Strike Group to increase their knowledge and skills relating to air-defense procedures, strike group integration and other high-end defense capabilities.
“This is a premium opportunity for everyone aboard to gain an intimate working knowledge of how warships interact in a carrier strike group to achieve a vast array of different and dynamic missions,” said RAN Cmdr. Karl Brinckmann, Sydney’s commanding officer.
The bilateral engagement will include a series of cooperative exercises between both navies in order to strengthen their interoperability to work together.
“These opportunities will hold us in excellent stead for the arrival of the Hobart-class destroyers,” said Brinckmann. “This is a proactive and progressive approach to training for future capabilities that will serve both navies and their Sailors incredibly well as we embark on a new and exciting phase of naval capability for Australia.”
Sydney will visit several ports throughout the U.S. 7th Fleet Area of Operations (AOO) during their embed with the strike group. Sailors from both navies will engage in cultural exchanges and will local host citizens while in port.
The visit will assure the opportunity for the U.S. Navy to further support its bilateral relationship with RAN in support of regional security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
[mappress] Press Release, May 7, 2013; Image: Australian Navy