More LCS, EPF Asia engagements

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The U.S. Navy is planning to enhance naval engagement with nations across South Asia in 2018, according to Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, commander of Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73. The command intends to build upon this year’s engagements, which were carried out by the Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado (LCS-4) and the Expeditionary Fast Transports (EPF) USNS Millinocket (EPF-3), USNS Fall River (EPF-4) and USNS Brunswick (EPF-6) – all built at Austal USA’s shipyards in Mobile, Ala. The new engagements will be paired with a more flexible framework to allow the Navy to develop opportunities for training with regional nations’ navies. The engagements are intended to complement the long-standing exercises. “We benefit greatly from year-long planning engagements with our partners in exercises like CARAT (Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training) and SEACAT (Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training),” Gabrielson said. The Navy has been using these exercises to build with partner-nation navies the past 20-to-30 years to train at sea. The mid-2018 plan has two LCS deployed, but a gap with LCS will be covered by three EPFs. The 14-month deployment of Coronado marked a milestone in validating the ability to operate the LCS in the region while paving the way to operate greater numbers of LCSs simultaneously,” the admiral said. (Source: USNI News 11/21/17)