Mine warfare forces from the US and Japan began an annual mine clearing exercise in waters surrounding northern Japan, the Navy said in a press release on Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2020) Mine warfare forces from the US and Japan began an annual mine clearing exercise in waters surrounding northern Japan, the Navy said in a press release on Monday.
"Maintaining open sea lanes for both military and civilian shipping in this important region is paramount for the free flow of trade and this exercise provides the experience our teams need to keep waterways safe for mariners throughout the Indo-Pacific," the commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 7, Rear Admiral Fred Kacher said in the release.
MIWEX 2JA is part of an annual series of exercises between the allied navies designed to increase proficiency in mine countermeasure operations, the release said.
The release listed 15 Japanese mine sweeping vessels participating in the exercise along with the US warships, Patriot and Pioneer and staff from Mine Countermeasures Squadron 7, forward forces deployed in Sasebo Japan, and a detachment from Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14 based in Pohang, South Korea.
