Sri Lanka, the US and Japan held joint naval exercises at the Trincomalee harbor and off the eastern coast off the country from June 24-30 showcasing capability enhancement and coordination of assets and technology in complex maritime operations.

The Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Exercise-2021 saw the participation of Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), United States 7th Fleet and Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF), ColomboPage reported.

The closing ceremony of the multi-lateral naval exercise was held virtually at the Naval Dockyard, Trincomalee on  June 30.

Working in coordinated deployment, two Offshore Patrol Vessels of Sri Lanka Navy, air assets of Sri Lanka Air Force, a Littoral Combat Ship, its shipborne helicopter and a Maritime Patrol Aircraft of the United States 7th Fleet, a destroyer and its shipborne helicopter of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force augmented CARAT-21.

The wide array of exercises included divisional tactics, night steaming, replenishment at sea, vertical replenishment, deck landing qualifications, tracking exercise, vessel boarding search and seizure routines.
It afforded the participants to hone their skills, learn each other’s tactics and gain a better understanding of the marine environment.

“The at-sea phase took place in territorial and international water near Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, where USS Charleston (LCS-18) and a P-8A Poseidon aircraft, assigned to Commander, Task Force (CTF) 72, partnered with ships and aircraft from Sri Lanka and Japan for training,” U.S. 7th Fleet said in a news release.

The experience and tactics used by Sri Lanka Navy, which regularly conducts operations to combat wide-ranging nefarious activities including drug trafficking and human smuggling in the Indian Ocean Region will be vital to the US Navy and Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force to promote secure seas in the world over.

(SAM)