The patrol ship HMS Spey of the Royal Navy participated in Exercise Keen Sword, one of the largest military drills ever held in the Pacific, for the first time, according to a report by Forces Network.
The ten-day exercise is a significant test of troops by land, air, and sea involving 36,000 military personnel, 30 ships, and 370 aircraft. Participants are mostly from the United States and Japan, with Canada and Australia joining as well.
EAST SEA, SOUTH KOREA - SEPTEMBER 30: In this handout image provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry, The U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan (C) and South Korean and Japan warships seen during a combined trilateral anti-submarine exercise on September 30, 2022 in East sea South Korea. South Korea, U.S. and Japan held a trilateral anti-submarine exercise near the peninsula for the first time in five years as part of efforts to sharpen deterrence against North Korean military threats.
HMS Spey
This year's ten-day military exercise tested participants' readiness while enhancing their capacity to cooperate effectively. The drills were centered on a coordinated reaction to armed attacks.
The Executive Officer of HMS Spey, Lieutenant Commander Bridget Macnae, stated that their participation in the exercise presents various opportunities for the Spey crew.
After leaving the Japanese base in Yokosuka, Spey traveled alongside the Japanese amphibious/landing ship JS Kunisaki to join the core drill task group and one of the biggest meetings of military naval assets in the region in the past few years, according to Forces Network.
A Japanese attack submarine commanded twenty vessels, which were flanked by the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and the Japanese helicopter destroyer JS Izumo.
A full-scale amphibious attack on the island coasts of Japan was the culmination of the exercise's second phase, with HMS Spey serving as a coastal guard to shield the bigger troops against small, nimble, fast attack craft.
Japanese forces deployed troops, tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery via helicopter, landing craft, and hovercraft, as per Forces Network.
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Keen Sword
According to Lieutenant Kyle-Davidson, the operations officer for HMS Spey, Keen Sword has given Spey a chance to participate in their greatest multinational exercise to date while building on the achievements and lessons gained from earlier operations with Japanese units.
The inaugural Keen Sword event took place in 1985. Field training and command post exercises, sometimes known as "Keen Edge," alternated annually. This training exercise has taken place 16 times overall.
After finishing its involvement in Keen Sword, Spey stayed in Japan. The crew of the ship also had the opportunity to experience Japanese culture, customs, and hospitality for the first time while visiting the port of Kure.
Along with her sister ship HMS Tamar, Spey is one of two Royal Navy patrol ships sent on a lengthy assignment to the India-Asia-Pacific region as part of the UK's broader "tilt" toward the area, as per Forces Network.
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Written by Jace Dela Cruz
