USS McFaul Kicks Off Eagle Salute 19, Eagle Response 19 in Safaga, Egypt
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Will Hardy
SAFAGA, Egypt (NRS) – The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) arrived in Safaga, Egypt on July 20, 2019, to kick off exercise Eagle Salute (ES) and Eagle Response (ER) 2019.
ES19 is a multi-lateral maritime surface exercise that is hosted annually by the Egyptian navy in the Northern Red Sea and is designed to develop and strengthen partner nation military relationships and increase proficiency of all participating countries maritime forces.
“Eagle Salute is a great opportunity to work with and build this strong regional partnership,” said Cmdr. Rusty Williamson, commanding officer of McFaul. “The in port and at sea exercises will certainly advance the McFaul team and will build strong connections with our maritime partners from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.”
While in Safaga, Sailors from McFaul will attend a pre-sail conference with all participating nations, attend lectures, perform team building exercises, and conduct sports events.
“The Silent Warrior team participated in a host of lectures, briefs, and at sea exercise, ranging from air defense, surface warfare, search and rescue (SAR), and visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS), as well as a few team building athletic competitions and socials,” said Williamson. “It was a really fantastic event and a highlight of our deployment.”
ES19 and ER19 will be conducted for several days and include events such as a replenishment-at-sea, gun exercises, SAR drills, VBSS, and ship maneuvering drills.
ES19 includes ships from the U.S., the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.
“McFaul represents one of the four nations participating in Eagle Salute, and like the other navies, we will lead a few of the exercises and participate in the other exercises. I am looking forward to some challenging events at sea,” said Williamson.
McFaul is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the Western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points.
| Date Taken: | 07.23.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2019 04:16 |
| Story ID: | 333119 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 192 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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