US 6th Fleet Joins French-Led Multinational Maritime Exercise Polaris 21 - Navy

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th November, 2021) Warships from the US Sixth Fleet joined France and four other NATO allies in an annual French-led maritime exercise in the Mediterranean, the navy said on Wednesday.

"The U.S. forces joined Italian, Greek, Spanish, and the U.K. maritime forces to develop high-end carrier strike group-level warfighting interoperability and proficiency among the NATO allies during France's maritime exercise," the navy said in the press release.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Porter (DDG 78), a Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft and the fleet replenishment oiler John Lenthall joined the exercise on Monday, four days after the exercise commenced on November 18, the release said.

French units scheduled to participate in the Polaris 21 exercise include French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, other French ships and units from the French army and air force, the release added.

NATO participation includes the Italian Navy destroyer Carlo Bergamini, the Spanish Navy destroyer Mendez Nunez, the Hellenic Navy frigate Adrias, and UK Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon (D35), the release said.

Increasingly, NATO allies are expanding their high-end maritime warfighting capabilities by integrating into multi-national exercises and carrier strike group deployments, according to the release.

Other recent integration examples for the US Navy include Porter's participation in the UK Royal Navy's Fleet Operational Sea Training exercise, and The Sullivans integration into the UK Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier deployment, the release said.