Shiloh Joins Japanese Counterparts for Biennial Exercise
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS101210-10
12/10/2010
By Lt. j.g. Nelson Balido, USS Shiloh (CG 67) Public Affairs
USS SHILOH, At Sea (NNS) -- After a port visit to Maizuru, Japan, USS Shiloh (CG 67) got underway to participate in the Exercise Keen Sword, bringing together 34,000 Japanese troops and 10,000 U.S. service members with combined 430 aircraft and 60 ships for missile-defense air, land and sea operations, Dec. 2.
"Our particular mission during Keen Sword is to exercise and advance our collective BMD capability which has made tremendous gains recently with the successful test mission conducted by the JS Kirishima (DDG 174) last month," said Capt. Matthew E. Loughlin, Shiloh's commanding officer. "A single ship provides only a certain capability, but a task force of cooperating units forms an overlapping network of defense with greater reliability, range, depth and system redundancy."
Shiloh will be accompanied by guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force ships JS Myoko (DDG 175) and JS Kurama (DDH 144)
Keen Sword 2010 is designed to strengthen interoperability between Japan Self Defense Forces and the U.S. military. Tenth in a series of joint/bilateral exercises since 1986, the exercise will include participation by units from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, coordinating training with their Japan Self Defense Force counterparts at military installations throughout mainland Japan, the island of Okinawa and in the waters surrounding Japan.
Shiloh will conduct ballistic missile defense training operations and surface warfare readiness training, communications and data link drills and subject matter expert exchanges during the course of the seven-day exercise.
Shiloh is assigned to Commander Task Force 70 and is forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan.
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