The U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) kicked off the annual bilateral training exercise MultiSail 2017 on March 6, with ships getting underway from the Apra Harbor in Guam.
Six U.S. Navy ships, two JMSDF ships and a number of subsurface and other special units will spend the next four days training together.
MultiSail is a bilateral training exercise which improves interoperability between U.S. and Japanese forces. This training provides real-world proficiency through detecting, locating, tracking, and engaging units at sea, in the air, on land, and underwater in response to a range of mission areas.
This year’s exercise will include in-port and at-sea training by Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center.
MultiSail started in 2004 as a pre-deployment training exercise and has expanded over the years to a bilateral exercise testing some of the latest equipment, tactics, and procedures.
The participating forces will exercise a range of capabilities including maritime security operations and anti-submarine and air defense exercises.