US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57) met up with Egyptian Navy’s Descubierta-class corvette ENS El Suez (F-946) for a passing exercise (PASSEX) on October 21.
Cmdr. Ian Scaliatine, commanding officer of Mitscher, welcomed El Suez’s leadership aboard Mitscher for a pre-sail conference during the destroyer’s recent port visit to Safaga, Egypt.
“This exercise was a great opportunity for Mitscher to continue and build upon the relationship between the U. S. and the Egyptian navies,” said Cmdr. Scaliatine.
The PASSEX began with both El Suez and Mitscher conducting a simulated fast inshore attack craft (FIAC) defense against high-speed boats, displaying the capability to respond to potential threats.
Next, members of Mitscher’s visit, board, search and seizure team embarked El Suez where they exchanged training with their Egyptian Navy counterparts.
“The maritime boarding drills allowed our boarding team to work side by side with our Egyptian boarding team partners,” said Cmdr. Scaliatine. “This drill increased our tactical proficiency while exchanging ideas between sailors.”
The event concluded with a gunnery exercise where both warships displayed their main battery weapons capabilities as they fired upon an inflatable red target, known as a “Killer Tomato”.
“The high level of professionalism demonstrated reaffirms our long history of serving at sea together, and mutual respect for each other,” said Cmdr. Scaliatine. “It was truly a great experience for Mitscher.”
Mitscher, homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, is deployed to the US 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points.