U.S., Canada Participate in Joint Exercise

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS150224-08
Release Date: 2/24/2015 9:23:00 AM

By Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Evans, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 4 Public Affairs

NORFOLK (NNS) -- Royal Canadian and U.S. Navy ships will participate in a Task Force Exercise (TFEX) off the coast of Virginia and the Carolinas, beginning Feb. 23.

Exercise participants from the Royal Canadian Navy include Commander, Canadian Fleet Atlantic; the Tribal-class destroyer HMCS Athabaskan (DDG 282); and, the Halifax-class frigate HMCS Montreal (FFH 336).

U.S. Navy units include Commander, Destroyer Squadron (CDS) 26 and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Porter (DDG 78) and USS Bainbridge (DDG 96).

Led by Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 4, TFEX serves as a deployment certification exercise for Porter, Bainbridge and Montreal and includes realistic training scenarios that test the ability of the ships to react to perform as an integrated unit.

'The exercise serves to train independently-deploying units in air defense, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare and maritime interdiction operations,' said Rear Adm. Richard Butler, commander of CSG-4. 'More importantly, this is a valuable opportunity to gain experience operating with the Royal Canadian Navy.'

CSG-4 is a team of experienced Sailors, Marines, government civilians and reservists, who mentor, train and assess Atlantic Fleet combat forces to forward deploy in support and defense of national interests. CSG-4's experts shape the readiness of Atlantic Fleet carrier strike groups (CSG), expeditionary strike groups (ESG), amphibious readiness groups (ARG) and independent deploying ships through live, at sea and synthetic training, as well as, academic instruction.

CSG-4, along with subordinate commands, Tactical Training Group Atlantic (TTGL) and Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Atlantic (EWTGL), prepare every Atlantic-based CSG, ARG and independent deployer for sustained forward deployed high tempo operations.