The u.s participated with the aircraft
carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) with
embarked carrier air wing CVW 2 cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG-57), destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG-106), replenishment ships USNS Rappahannock (TAO-204) and USNS John Erickson (TAO194) and an unnamed los angeles-class
submarine. The german navy participated with
frigate FGS Bayern (F-217) the ran with
destroyer HMAS Brisbane (D-41) and Frigate HMAS Waramunga (FFH-152) and the RCN with HMCS Winnipeg (FFH-338).
Prior to the exercise Waramanga and Bayern were on separate monitoring and
surveillance patrols in the east china
sea, in support of united nations
sanctions on north korea. JMSDF ships participating in the drills
included helicopter destroyer JS Izumo (DDH-183) destroyers, JS In Azuma (DD-105), JS Harassing (DD-102), JS Onami (DD-111), JS Terazuki (DD-116), JS Asahi (DD-119), JS Yamajiri (DD-152), JS Kirishima (DDG-174) and JS Chokai (DDG-176) replenishment ship JS Omi (AOE-426) and a JMSDF (Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force) submarine.
The JMSDF also held an exercise with
destroyer JS Abducuma (DE-229) and Peruvian Navy Corvette BAP Guise (CC-28) on monday in the east china sea. Guise is the former republic of Korea Navy Corvette ROKS Suncheon (PCC-767) which was formally transferred over to
the peruvian navy on november 26th at
the Jinhi Naval Base in Korea. In a
ceremony attended by the Korean Navy Chief of naval operations Adm Bu Sukjang
and Peruvian Navy Commander in Chief Adm Alberto Alcala.
Guise is the second Pohan Class Corvette transferred to the peruvian
navy. BAP Forrest (CM-27) formerly ROKS Gyeongju (PCC-758) was transferred in 2015. Guise is currently in Yokosuka for a
replenishment stop before continuing its
voyage home with the ship expected to
arrive in peru the first week of january
2022.
Over in the malacca strait, the u.s navy
and the royal malaysian navy concluded Maritime Training Activity (MTA) malaysia
2021 on tuesday. The u.s navy participated with the
literal combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS-16) and
a P-8A Poseidon which staged out of the Royal Malaysian Air Force Butterworth in Malaysia. The royal malaysian navy sent Frigate KD Lekiu (FFGH-30) and Corvette KD Lekker (FSG-26) for the drills. MTA Malaysia is part of the cooperation
of float readiness and training, carat, exercise series.
The us already completed the Indonesia
and Brunei phases of the series earlier
in november. MTA Malaysia resumed this year with
safety mitigation measures after being
cancelled in 2020 due to restrictions
caused by the covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile in indonesia russia began its
first ever naval exercise with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The focus for the exercise known as
asean russian naval exercise arnex 2021
is joint actions to ensure the safety of
maritime economic activity and civil
navigations.
The exercise continues through december
3rd in indonesian territorial waters off
the coast of north sumatra. Destroyer RFS Admiral Panteleyev (BPK- 548) will
represent russia which is the third
country after china and the u.s to hold
naval exercises with the regional body. China conducted exercises with asean in
2018 and 2019 while the us held one in
2019. Neither country has participated in
additional exercises with asean since
2019 because of the pandemic.
The Vietnam people's navy Frigate VPNS Ly Thai To (HQ-012) arrived on sunday at the Belawan International Container Terminal Bict in Belawan, North Sumatra for the exercise. Other ASEAN ships participating in the
drills are Bruneian OPV KDB Daruttaqwa, zero nine indonesian frigate KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata-331, Malaysian Frigate KD Lekiu (FFGH-300, Myanmar Frigate UMS Kyan Sittha-Class (F12), Singaporean Corvette RSS Vigour (92) and Thai Frigate HTMS Kraburi 457.
In other developments russian navy Gremyashchiy-Class Corvette (337) submarines, RFS Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (B274) and RFS Folkoff (B-603), RFS Pachinga and Tug RFS Olita
are making their way through the sea of
japan. The corvette and submarines were
previously part of the russian navy's
baltic fleet and are now enroute to
their new home bases as part of russia's
pacific fleet. They linked up with the two support
ships prior to making a port call in
manila, philippines on november 16th.
The russian ships were sighted 170
kilometers south of iran island at 4 pm
on november 23rd and subsequently moved
north in the sea area between Okinawa
and Miyakojima. According to a tuesday
news release from the joint staff office
of the japan self-defense force, the group sailed northeast through the
tsushima strait heading for the sea of
japan on saturday.
Japanese P-1's of fleet air wing 4
stationed at naval air facility at tsuji
and P-3C Orions of fleet air wing 5
stationed at Naha Air Base monitored the
russian ship's voyages by air. Japanese destroyers JS Abukuma (DE-229), JS DD-156 and JS Sendai (DE-232 minesweeper JS Kuroshima (MSC-692) and patrol boat JS Otaka (PG-826) shadowed the ships on the surface.
