U.S., Japanese Navy conduct drills off Guam, near Philippines

Ships from the U.S. Navy’s Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15 and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) are participating in the annual bilateral training exercise Multi Sail 2016, which is taking place from March 6-11.

Participants include six U.S. surface units, four Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ships, and a number of subsurface and other special units.

Multi Sail, which is taking place off the U.S. island territory Guam, is a combined training exercise aimed at enhancing successful maritime operations with U.S. and Japan navies. This training enables real-world proficiency in sustaining forces through finding, fixing, tracking and targeting units at sea, in the air, on land and underwater in response to a range of mission sets.

Arleigh Burke Class guided-missile destroyer, USS McCampbell (DDG 85), will serve as the flagship for the exercise.

Cmdr. Ed Sundberg, commanding officer of McCampbell, said: “This event is the pinnacle of training for our forward deployed forces and the peak of coordination with JMSDF. Our Sailors look forward to this opportunity to hone their warfighting skills.”

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