6 naval task groups from US, UK, India, Japan and Australia underway in the Pacific

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USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), sails in Tokyo Bay en route to Fleet Activities Commander Yokosuka for a scheduled stopover on August 28, 2021. U.S. Navy Photo

KUALA LUMPUR Six task forces from the U.S., British, Australian, Japanese and Indian navies are currently on operational deployment to the Indo-Pacific region amidst an intense period of multilateral exercises in the fall and early winter .

The Carl Vinson Navy Carrier Strike Group and the Japanese-based US Expeditionary Strike Group, the British Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth 21 (CSG 21) Aircraft Carrier Strike Group, Indo-Pacific Endeavor 21 (IPE 21) of the Australian Defense Force Indo-Pacific Endeavor 21 (IPE 21) are currently operating in the region. group, the Indo-Pacific Deployment Force 2021 of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) (IPD21) and the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet Task Force.

USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) arrived at Fleet Activities Yokosuka on August 28 for a scheduled port stopover. The attack group deployed August 2 to the Western Pacific and consists of Vinson, cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG-57), and destroyers USS Dewey (DDG-105), USS OKane (DDG-77), USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112), USS Chafee (DDG-90) and USS Stockdale (DDG-106). The Carl Vinson CSG is expected to conduct an exercise with the UK’s CSG 21, which is currently off the coast of South Korea for a scheduled bilateral exercise with the ROK Navy.

The America Expeditionary Strike Group consisting of the USS America (LHA-6), USS New Orleans (LPD-18) and USS Germantown (LSD-42) with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit are in the Philippine Sea conducting operations routine, with America and New Orleans have just completed an intensive 12-day exercise and engagement period with CSG 21 and JMSDF ships in the region. These exercises include the Large Scale 21 and the Noble Union Exercise.

The 31st MEU said in a press release that Exercise Noble Union is part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Units Noble Series of exercises that are used to test family naval concepts, develop techniques and procedures for employment MEU assets in support of the refusal of the sea and fleet maneuver and inform future force design and testing efforts.

JMSDF ships participating in the exercise included the helicopter destroyer JS Ise (DDH-182) and the destroyer JS Asahi (DD119). A photo released by JMSDF showed Ise carrying an on-board Apache JGSDF AH-64D helicopter, while the JMSDF statement said that from August 24 to 25, JS Ise and JS Asahi participated in the multinational forward aviation cooperative deployment in the part of the large-scale project. Global exercise 2021 in the West Pacific with [Japan Air Self-Defense Force], [Japan Ground Self-Defense Force], the Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group, America and F-35B fighters from the United States and the Royal Navy. A separate exercise called Pacific Crown 21-1 was held August 25-26 off Okinawa between the two JMSDF ships and CSG 21.

HMS Queen Elizabeth (R-08) on August 30, 2021. Photo by the British Royal Navy

British elements of CSG 21 that took part in the exercise were the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) and carrier planes, including the Wake Island Avengers of the US Marine Corps Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211. The squadron is integrated into the Royal Air Force’s 617th Squadron, the Dambusters. The UK-led multinational CSG also includes destroyers HMS Defender (D36) and HMSDiamond (D34), frigates HMS Kent (F78) and HMS Richmond (F239), Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen (F805) and US destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG-68). The CSG 21 also includes the Royal Fleet Auxiliary RFA Fort Victoria (A387) and RFA Tidespring (A136) and an Astute class submarine. The destroyer HMS Diamond (D34) was forced to leave the group in July and land in Italy due to problems with its engine. The ship was initially scheduled to be repaired and rejoin the group in the Indo-Pacific, but repairs to the destroyer are still not complete. Richmond broke away from the group earlier in July and is now in Guam after an equipment reset in Sasebo, Japan.

Kent also broke away from the main group and docked on August 27 at Sasebo, where he is expected to perform a short maintenance period. The Astute-class submarine also supported the deployment docked at Naval Base Busan, Republic of Korea, on August 11. The submarine was originally thought to be HMS Artful (S121), which was with CSG 21 during its deployment to the Mediterranean, but observers of the submarine in Korea claimed that the nameplate on it ci read HMS Astute (S119), which means that a change occurred before the attack group entered the Indo-Pacific. Queen Elizabeth was also due to make a stopover in Busan, conducting engagement activities ashore, but this was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and instead only of an exercise at sea between the Navy from the Republic of Korea (ROKN) and CSG 21 will take place from August 30 to September 1 before CSG 21 moves to Japan.

On August 23, the JMSDF Indo-Pacific Deployment 2021 (IPD21) force departed Japan, with the task force consisting of the helicopter destroyer JS Kaga (DDH 184), destroyers JS Murasame (DD 101) and JS Shiranui (DD 120), and a total of four on-board helicopters. The deployment support is a submarine and a P-1 maritime patrol aircraft. The IPD has been an annual rollout for the JMSDF since 2019, with this year’s rollout until November 25. The objective is to enhance the tactical capabilities of the JMSDF and strengthen cooperation with partner navies in the Indo-Pacific region by conducting joint exercises. The list of countries with which the group would be drilling includes Australia, French New Caledonia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Palau, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

IPD21’s first engagement activity was Phase 1 of Exercise Malabar 2021 between Australia, India, Japan and the United States which took place August 26-29 in the Philippines. The United States deployed the destroyer USS Barry (DDG-52) and tanker USNS Rappahannock (T-AO-204), as well as naval special warfare forces and P-8 maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft of the Task Force 72 for the exercises, while India participated with frigate INS Shivalik (F47), corvette INS Kadmatt (P29) and a P-8I. Australia was represented by the frigate HMAS Warramunga (FFH 152). JMSDF P-1 and the submarine supporting IPD21 also took part in the exercise. Mention of the submarine was omitted from all releases, but shown in exercise photos released by the JMSDF.

HMS Queen Elizabeth (front) with Indian multipurpose frigate Shivalik (second from front) in the Bay of Bengal. Royal Navy photo

Sivalik and Kadmatt are part of an Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet task force of four ships that left India in early August for a two-month deployment to Southeast Asia, the South China Sea and the the Western Pacific, according to a press release from the Indian Ministry of Defense. . The other two ships of the task group are the destroyer INS Ranvijay (D55) and the corvette INS Kora (P61). The exercises will include exercises with the Vietnamese People’s Navy, the Navy of the Republic of the Philippines, the Navy of the Republic of Singapore, the Indonesian Navy and the Royal Australian Navy.Ranvijay and Kora conducted the exercise with the VPN frigate VPNS Ly Thai To (HQ-012) in the South China Sea on August 18, then conducted an exercise with Philippine Navy frigate BRP Antonio Luna (FF 151) on August 23 in the West Philippine Sea. Deployments of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet to Southeast and Northeast Asia have been regular over the years, in line with the Indian Navy’s extensive bilateral engagements with the countries there, as well as commitments. as part of the Quad partnership.

On August 26, the Royal Australian Navy LPD HMAS Canberra (L02) and frigate HMAS Anzac (FFH150) departed Darwin to begin the Indo-Pacific Endeavor 21 (IPE21) ADF deployment. Deployment has been an annual activity for ADF since early 2017, with odd years taking place in Southeast Asia and even years taking place in the Southwest Pacific. PEI 2020 has been canceled due to COVID-19.

HMAS Canberra forms with naval ships from the United States of America and New Zealand after Exercise Talisman Saber 17.

The deployment is being executed as a joint service deployment centered around a Maritime Task Group built around one of two Canberra-class landing helicopter dock ships. The Australian Department of Defense said IPE21 involved around 700 people, including Australian Defense Forces and Civil Defense personnel, as well as sailors from partner countries and that commitments had been changed in response to the pandemic of COVID-19. Engagements will be made primarily through contactless port visits, including a range of virtual workshops and activities at sea. The deployment of IPE21 will see the working group engage with Australian partners in Southeast Asia. South East, in addition to participating in the Bersama Gold Five Power Defense Arrangements exercise in October, which marks the 50th anniversary of the defense arrangement between Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United United. Due to the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia, which is scheduled to host the exercise, Australian, British and New Zealand naval and air assets will be leaving Singapore, rather than Malaysia as originally planned. Activities will primarily include contactless engagements at sea and in the air, although a small-scale formal ceremony involving ministers and defense chiefs of the five countries is still scheduled. It is not clear whether the ADF MRH90 fleet stranded in June 2021 and what normally constitutes the helicopter component of the PEI is on board for the deployment of the PEI21. The IPE21 working group is expected to return to Australia in November.

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