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More than 20,000 personnel from five
different countries will take part in Exercise Malabar 07-2. This
multilateral exercise will include naval forces from India, Australia,
Japan, Singapore and the United States.
The Malabar exercise series has historically been a bilateral exercise
between the Indian and U.S. Navy. This year, the Indian navy invited
other regional countries to participate.
Exercise Malabar 07-2 is designed to increase ability to operate among
the Indian, Australian, Japanese, Singaporean, and U.S. maritime
forces to develop common understanding and procedures for maritime
operations. Interoperability among maritime forces allows for a more
effective capability to respond, as necessary, to maritime threats
such as terrorism proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and
transnational challenges such as pandemic disease and natural
disaster.
The at-sea training will include sea control operations, multi-carrier
operations as well as exercise all major air, surface and subsurface
maritime skill sets. The participants will also conduct personnel
exchanges and professional discussions at sea and ashore.
The U.S. will be represented by the aircraft carriers USS Nimitz (CVN
68) and USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63); guided missile cruisers USS Cowpens
(CG 63) and USS Princeton (CG 59); guided missile destroyers USS
Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54), USS Mustin (DDG 89), USS John Paul Jones (DDG
53), USS Chafee (DDG 90), and USS Higgins (DDG 76); and various P-3C
and SH-60 aircrafts. In addition, two maritime prepositioning ships
will participate for various portions of the exercise.
The U.S. 7th Fleet is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets
covering 52 million square miles, with approximately 50 ships, more
than 200 aircraft and 20,000 Sailors and Marines assigned at any given
time. For more information, visit the U.S. 7th Fleet Web site at
www.c7f.navy.mil. |
