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BAY OF BENGAL – USS Somerset (LPD 25) successfully participated in the third iteration of Exercise La Perouse, which took place April 5-7, 2021 in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations (AOO).
La Perouse provided an opportunity for U.S. naval assets to conduct engagements with Australia, France, India and Japan in order to enhance communication, coordination and training by like-minded partners in the Indian Ocean region. Multi-lateral collaboration and war-fighting integration through exercises such as Laperouse enhance regional security, stability and prosperity in an area that is central to the global flow of commerce for some of the most dynamic economies in the world.
"The opportunities and challenges in this dynamic maritime region are bigger than any single nation alone, which is why exercises at sea like La Perouse are critical to building the collective trust, interoperability, and skills that are essential to maritime security," said Rear Admiral Fred Kacher, commander Expeditionary Strike Group 7. "Our allies and partners make us stronger as a navy and a nation and we intend to keep building on these strengths through maritime events just like these."
During the exercise, USS Somerset and the other units operated under French leadership and quickly aggregated into a multi-national maritime force. Throughout the exercise units conducted maritime maneuvering exercises, air defense operations, and live firing exercises.
"Having this many partner nations and allies working together allows for us as a force to collectively accelerate interoperability through evolving communication and coordination efforts," said Capt. John Kurtz, commanding officer of USS Somerset. "This exercise was expertly planned and executed under the leadership of the French Navy and the professionalism of each force. When we operate like this it makes it easier to excel and conduct more advanced operations through sharing lessons learned as a single force."
La Perouse is an exercise during the annual French Navy midshipman deployment called Mission Jeanne d’Arc. The exercise is designed to conduct training and enhance cooperation in maritime surveillance, maritime interdiction operations, and air operations.
Somerset is operating under the control of Expeditionary Strike Group 7 in the U.S. 7th Fleet AOO to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
| Date Taken: | 04.08.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.08.2021 23:08 |
| Story ID: | 393405 |
| Location: | U.S. 7TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY |
| Web Views: | 56 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Multinational Naval Forces Conclude Exercise La Perouse, by LT Joseph Pfaff, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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