CGC Kimball, Japanese Navy training vessel conduct at-sea exercise near Dutch Harbor, Alaska

Courtesy Photo | The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball and the Japan Naval Training Vessel Kashima transit together during a maritime exercise near Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on Sept. 20, 2021. Over the past year, the United States and Japan have increasingly strengthened their relationship in the maritime domain through the shared mission set of the Japanese Military Special Defense Forces and the U.S. Coast Guard. U.S. Coast Guard photo.  

JUNEAU, AK, UNITED STATES

09.20.2021

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Ali Blackburn 

U.S. Coast Guard District 17

JUNEAU, Alaska – The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball crew conducted a joint exercise with members of the Japanese Military Special Defense Forces (JMSDF) off the coast of Dutch Harbor, Monday.

The Coast Guard Cutter Kimball crew and the JMSDF crew, aboard the Naval Training Vessel Kashima, operated alongside one another in the Aleutian Island chain to exchange visual communications, followed by honors, as their respective crews lined their ship’s rails for a uniform salute.

This display of maritime cooperation and mutual respect emphasizes both the United States’ and Japan’s continued commitment to one another and to partnership at sea.

“The Kimball crew welcomed the opportunity to meet the Kashima and conduct a professional exercise at sea,” said Capt. Thomas D’Arcy, the Kimble’s commanding officer. “Seeing the crews aboard the Kimball and the Kashima line the rails for the passing of honors illustrates the spirit of collaboration between the U.S. Coast Guard and Japan’s maritime forces. The exercise, movements and communications between our vessels were expertly executed and the salutes exchanged exemplify the strength of our relationship with Japan as a key partner.”

Over the past year, the United States and Japan have increasingly strengthened their relationship in the maritime domain through the shared mission set of the JMSDF and the USCG. This includes search and rescue collaboration with Coast Guard District 14 in Hawaii and the Japanese Coast Guard Training Ship Kajima, as well as exercises between the Japanese Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Cutters Kimball, Munro and Bertholf near the Ogasawara Islands and in the North Pacific, respectively.

The first joint exercise between the Kashima crew and a Coast Guard crew occurred in the Bering Sea last September in the form of a personnel exchange with the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley.

The Kashima is one of four training ships that belong to the JMSDF and is used to train new officers. About 110 newly-commissioned officers and more than 300 crewmembers are aboard the ship for its nearly two-month journey from Hiroshima to Alaska, up to the Arctic and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, then back to Japan.

• Date Taken: 09.20.2021
• Date Posted: 09.25.2021 01:37
• Story ID: 406044
• Location: JUNEAU, AK, US
• Hometown: HONOLULU, HI, US