The United States has deployed a warship in Sydney, Australia today, marking the first time a U.S. Navy vessel serves in a foreign port as part of efforts by both countries to strengthen their military ties in response to China’s expansion in the region. The Independence-class littoral combat ship, named after a Royal Australian Navy vessel that sank while supporting U.S. amphibious landings in Guadalcanal in 1942, was commissioned at a ceremony held at an Australian naval base in Sydney harbor, officially joining the active fleet of the U.S. Navy.
The Australian Minister of Defense stated in a release, “Australians can be proud that this ship, designed by a local company in Western Australia and named in honor of the vessel ‘HMAS Canberra,’ is being commissioned here for the first time in U.S. Navy history.” He noted that “the commissioning of the vessel in Australian waters reflects our shared commitment to supporting the rules-based order.”
The ceremony occurs while the biannual Talisman Sabre military exercises, conducted between the United States and Australia, are underway, which are seen as a show of strength and unity as China increasingly enhances its power in the Indo-Pacific region. The exercises, which take place at various locations across Australia over two weeks, include simulations of land and aerial combat, as well as amphibious landing operations.
In addition to Australia and the United States, forces from Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Tonga, and Britain are participating. As part of the exercises, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force launched an anti-ship missile today off the eastern coast of Australia in Jervis Bay, approximately 195 kilometers south of Sydney.
