Group Arabian Sea Warfare Exercise 21 Underway in the U.S. 5th Fleet From U.S. Naval Forces Central Command

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Ethan Morrow | ARABIAN SEA (March 19, 2021) – French Navy frigate FS Provence (D 652), left, U.S. Navy Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73), left center, French Navy aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle (R 91), right center, Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Ariake (DD 109), right, and the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) transit the Arabian Sea in support of Gulf Arabian Sea Warfare Exercise (GASWEX) 21. GASWEX 21 is a multilateral maritime exercise in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman, with France, Belgium, Japan, and U.S., which provides a unique opportunity for participating forces to enhance mutual interoperability and capabilities in maritime security, anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare, and anti-submarine warfare operations, allowing participating naval forces to effectively develop the necessary skills to address threats to regional security, freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ethan Jaymes Morrow)  

ARABIAN SEA

03.21.2021

Courtesy Story

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 5th Fleet           

France, Belgium, Japan and the U.S. are participating in Group Arabian Sea Warfare Exercise (GASWEX) 21, a multilateral maritime exercise in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman.

This exercise provides a unique opportunity for participating forces to enhance mutual interoperability and capabilities in maritime security, anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare operations.

Participants include ships and aircraft from the French Charles De Gaulle carrier strike group, auxiliary ship FS Var (A 608), frigates FS Provence (D 652) and FS Chevalier Paul (D 621), Belgian frigate BNS Leopold I (F 930), and Japanese destroyer JS Ariake (DD 109).

U.S. forces include the Makin Island amphibious ready group (ARG) with embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73) and various aircraft including F-35, P-8, MH-60, Air Force F-16s, E-3 and tankers.

By cooperatively training together, exercises like this allow participating naval forces to effectively develop the necessary skills to address threats to regional security, freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce. This is one of many exercises in which the U.S. military participates with partner nations in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility each year intended to enhance partnerships and interoperability.

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For further questions, please contact U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs Office
011-973-1785-4562 or [e-mail]

• Date Taken: 03.21.2021
• Date Posted: 03.21.2021 03:12
• Story ID: 391918
• Location: ARABIAN SEA