Portsmouth-based Royal Navy ship involved in major Pacific military exercise
It's seen as a major test of forces' strength
Last updated 20th Nov 2022
For the first time ever, a Portsmouth-based patrol ship has taken part in one of the Pacific's largest military exercises.
HMS Spey was one of 30 ships involved in Exercise Keen Sword, alongside boats from Japan, the United States, Australia and Canada.
In all, 36,000 military personnel were involved in the ten-day exercise, a major test designed to see how forces respond to armed attacks from land, sea and air.
It has been described as one of the largest gatherings of military naval hardware in the region in recent years.
This year the workout focused on a combined response aimed at testing the readiness of participating countries whilst improving the ability of the participating nations to work seamlessly together.
Lieutenant Commander Bridget Macnae, the ship's executive officer, said:
"For the crew of HMS Spey, the opportunity to take part in Exercise Keen Sword 23 has offered countless opportunities to further develop our ability to work together and continue our great working relationship with the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force and the many other allies and partners participating in the exercise."
Twenty warships were spearheaded by a Japanese attack submarine and flanked by the combined strength of the US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and the Japanese Helicopter Destroyer JS Izumo.
Warfare specialist Able Seaman Harry Cox said:
“It was really impressive seeing such a large mass of warships,
“It’s not every day that we get to see such a gathering of ships from so many different navies come together.
"Being led by a Japanese submarine with an American aircraft carrier with their full air-wing embarked, just ahead of us made me realise the sheer scale of Exercise Keen Sword.”
The second stage of the exercise built up to a full-scale amphibious assault on to the island shores of Japan with HMS Spey standing coastal guard to provide protection for the larger units against small, highly- manoeuvrable fast attack craft.
Meanwhile, Japanese and other partner shipping put troops, armoured vehicles, tanks and artillery ashore by helicopter, landing craft and hovercraft.
Lieutenant Kyle-Davidson, HMS Spey’s Operations Officer, said:
"Keen Sword has provided the opportunity for Spey to get involved in our largest multi-national exercise to date, building upon the successes and lessons learnt from previous operations with Japanese units.
"In particular, it has shown that these Offshore Patrol Vessels can integrate into a joint American/Japanese amphibious task group and operate close to shore, patrolling the flanks of larger operations to police shipping and help maintain assault lanes."