Pacific Protector
Pacific Protector is the first of 10 planned exercises in a multinational operation to combat the growing weapons proliferation threat occurred in the Coral Sea, off Queensland's central coast, beginning on September 13 through September 14, 2003. A maritime interdiction exercise led by Australia, Pacific Protector will draw upon the military and law enforcement resources of the lead country, plus those of the United States, France and Japan.
The interdiction exercises are part of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) announced by President Bush in Krakow, Poland, in May 2003. The initiative is aimed at preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and delivery systems by intercepting and searching vessels, aircraft, and land vehicles reasonably suspected of transporting WMD-related cargoes.
The exercise will involve roughly 800 military and law enforcement personnel from around the globe.
Pacific Protector starts at first light on Saturday, September 13, with aerial searches for a simulated Japanese-flagged commercial merchant vessel suspected of carrying WMD-related items. The vessel will be trailed by combined military and law enforcement assets from the four participating nations. The Japan Coast Guard, working with French, US and Australian counterparts, will request and execute a boarding and search of the vessel on the high seas. The scenario will end after the seizure of its WMD-related cargo.
Australian assets involved in the exercise include the frigate HMAS Melbourne, the Australian Customs vessel Botany Bay and Coastwatch surveillance aircraft. The international assets involved in the exercise are the United States destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur with a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment Boarding Team, the Japanese Coast Guard patrol vessel Shikishima, a French Guardian Maritime Patrol aircraft and target vessel MV Private Franklin J Phillips (to be MV Tokyo Summer for the exercise).
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