The San Diego-based amphibious assault ship USS America is hosting crew members of a Japanese helicopter carrier in preparation for the annual Dawn Blitz exercise in early September.
The JS Hyuga, a 19,000-ton helicopter carrier, docked in San Diego earlier this month. The America is a similar but larger ship, a 46,000-ton vessel that carries both helicopters and vertical-take-off attack jets
“Working with America Sailors during Hyuga’s time in port San Diego has truly strengthened the alliance between Japan and the United States,” said Capt. Taskeshi Okada, commanding officer of the Hyuga. “The America has been a great host and we have learned a lot about daily operations of America.”
Dawn Blitz is an annual multinational training exercise in which forces plan and execute a brigade-sized amphibious assault from the sea.
American and Japan have a close defense relationship that has strengthened as China’s military power has grown.
