Naval ships from India, Australia, Japan, Singapore and the United States break away after a joint photo exercise during Exercise Malabar 07-02, in the Bay of Bengal on 05 September 2007.
Image Courtesy - Seaman Stephen W. Rowe, Mass Communication Specialist.
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USS John Paul Jones practices joint operability during Malabar
[John Paul Jones Public Affairs, 11 September 2007]
By Ensign Benjamin McCarty
The guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones recently completed Exercise Malabar 07-02, the largest ever naval exercise coordinated by the Indian Navy. The USS Nimitz and USS Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) operated with naval ships from Australia, India, Japan and Singapore in the Bay of Bengal from 04 to 09 September 2007. The primary goal of this combined training exercise was to increase mutual understanding of joint maritime operations and increase coalition interoperability. Exercise Malabar 07-02 tested the limit of integrated multinational operations, including the operation of three aircraft carriers and a fleet of two dozen ships. USS John Paul Jones demonstrated many of her warfighting capabilities including air defense, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), live-fire gunnery scenarios and counter-detection operations, conducting these missions with maritime forces from the four other nations. Using standardized communication protocols and allied operating procedures, she bridged language barriers and fully maximized the combat capabilities of all participating ships.
During live-fire gunnery exercises, USS John Paul Jones expended 50 rounds of five-inch munitions while closely operating with Indian and Australian naval ships. Performing live fires as an individual ship is a specialized operation, but coordinating and maneuvering such a large number of ships from so many countries to simultaneously conduct live fires is a truly noteworthy achievement, according to Ensign Gwendolyn Murphy, the gunnery officer aboard USS John Paul Jones. "Live-fire exercises carry an inherent risk with them," said Ensign Murphy and added, "Our ability to coordinate with four other nations while performing excellently gives me great confidence in our battle readiness." The advanced training performed during this exercise not only improved the combat readiness of all participating navies, it also provides a better common understanding of international maritime operations and fostered growing international relationships.
USS John Paul Jones , commanded by Commander Christopher Barnes, departed its homeport of San Diego on a regularly-scheduled deployment on 02 April 2007 and is currently deployed in the US Navy's 7th Fleet (C7F) operating area with the USS Nimitz CSG. C7F is the largest of the forward-deployed US Navy fleets covering 52 million square miles, with approximately 50 ships, 120 aircraft and more than 22,000 Sailors and Marines assigned at any given time. These forces are tangible proof of America's commitment to peace and stability in Asia, and they directly support US national goals of strengthening alliances, defeating global terrorism, preventing future terrorist attacks, defusing regional conflicts, and preserving the free flow of trade.
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