Cruise Industry

USS Mobile and BRP Ramon Alcaraz Unite for High-Impact Maritime Cooperative Activity

Published

5 months ago

08/01/2024

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SOUTH CHINA SEA (July 31, 2024) – Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Mobile (LCS 26) conducts a Maritime Cooperative Activity with Philippine Navy’s Gregorio del Pilar-class patrol ship, BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS 16), in the South China Sea, July 31, 2024. Mobile, part of Destroyer Squadron 7, is on a rotational deployment operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Naval Aircrewman Tactical Helicopter 2nd Class Diego Chavez)

Multinational Cooperation Activities (MCAs) underscore the fortified alliance between the United States and the Philippines, bolstering combined maritime capabilities and promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific. The latest MCA iteration included comprehensive training on routine bilateral surface operations and communications.

“We welcome the opportunity to conduct maritime activities alongside our allies from the Philippines,” declared Capt. Justin Harts, commander of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15. “Sailing together demonstrates our committed coordination with the Philippine Navy.”

This operation saw participation from the U.S. Navy’s Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Mobile (LCS 26), which is assigned to DESRON 7 but operating under DESRON 15, and the Philippine Navy’s Gregorio del Pilar-class patrol ship BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS 16).

Routinely, the U.S. Navy operates alongside allies in the Indo-Pacific, reinforcing a shared resolve towards a rules-based international order. Bilateral activities such as this provide vital opportunities for training, exercises, and tactical interoperability development across allied naval forces in the region. Close cooperation with allies and partners remains central to the strategy of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The 7th Fleet, the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, consistently interacts with allies and partners to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific region.