WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2021) The United States cutter Munro completed a three-day exercise with the Royal Australian Navy in the South China Sea, the US Coast Guard said in a press release.
"The joint training engagement included joint operations, professional exchanges, and multi-unit maneuvering at sea to strengthen interoperability between the US Coast Guard and Royal Australian Navy," the release said on Thursday.
Munro, a 418-foot national security cutter, departed its home port of Alameda in July for a months-long deployment to the Western Pacific. The three day exercise in the South China Sea concluded on Monday, the release said.
The release mentioned the Coast Guard's "long history of cooperation with the Royal Australian Navy," as part of the Pacific Quadrilateral Defense Coordinating Group or P-QUAD linking the United States, Australia, New Zealand and France.
However, the release made no mention the trilateral US, UK and Australian agreement announced on Wednesday to provide Australia with nuclear propelled submarines.
The deal blindsided France, prompting condemnation from French officials and the cancellation of a Washington gala to celebrate the nation's longtime alliance with the US, according to media reports.
The agreement threatened to scuttle a $90 billion contract for France to design and build submarines for Australia, analysts said.
