Coast Guard Cutter Munro Arrives for Training With Japan Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro is now in Yokosuka, Japan on its first international port visit, to conduct training and engagements with the Japan Coast Guard.
The Munro arrived Aug. 6 while deployed in the Indo-Pacific and hosted several members of the Japan Coast Guard for professional exchanges, including showcasing the Munro’s small boar and aerial capabilities, and search-and-rescue operations.
The visit allowed members of both Coast Guard services to discuss their shared mission objectives and shared maritime security challenges.
The Munro’s commanding officer, Capt. Rula Deisher, said it has been a privilege for the Munro to work alongside of its Japanese partners to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Munro, a 418-foot national security cutter under the tactical control of the U.S. 7th Fleet, departed its homeport in Alameda, Calif. on June 23 for a months-long deployment to the Western Pacific.
The vessel’s crew was set to engage in capacity-building exercises with partner nations while patrolling the region in support of maritime security. The deployment follows that of the Coast Guard cutter Stratton, which recently completed an Indo-Pacific patrol.
In May of 2022, the U.S. Coast Guard and Japan Coast Guard formally expanded cooperative agreements through a memorandum of understanding, named SAPPHIRE, which is an acronym for Solid Alliance for Peace and Prosperity with Humanity and Integrity on the Rule of law-based Engagement.
It’s an expansion of an agreement reached in 2010, focusing on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The Coast Guard Pacific Area is responsible for U.S. Coast Guard operations spanning across six of the seven continents, 71 countries and over 74 million square miles of ocean. It reaches from the shores of the U.S. West Coast to the Indo-Pacific, Eastern Pacific, Arctic and Antarctic regions.
Source: https://fishermensnews.com/coast-guard-cutter-munro-arrives-for-training-with-japan-coast-guard/
