Officers
from the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG)
recently conducted a joint interoperability exercise in strategically important
waters in Far North Queensland, further enhancing their relationship.
The
exercise – involving an ABF Dash-8 plane and USCG Cutter Stratton, and
its long range interceptor boat – was staged inside of Australia’s
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as the Stratton sailed towards Papua New
Guinea (PNG).
The
two agencies enjoy a long history of cooperation, focused on strengthening
civil maritime security in the region to ensure safe and secure trade and
travel as well as suppressing crimes committed at sea.
ABF
Commissioner Michael Outram said the exercise demonstrated the strong
relationship between Australia and the United States on civil maritime
security.
“This
exercise highlights that responding to on-water threats is complex, and that success
is best achieved through bilateral and multilateral cooperation,”
Commissioner Outram said.
“It
was also our honour to host the USCG delegation from District Fourteen in
Honolulu, Hawaii when they recently visited our ABF headquarters in Canberra to
discuss joint activities in the Pacific.”
USCG
Vice Admiral Michael McAllister, Commander Pacific Area, said incidents
involving illegal fishing, narcotic and firearm trafficking as well as piracy
and violence at sea impact economic prosperity.
“When
such activities cross maritime boundaries they can be challenging to regulate
and enforce,” Vice Admiral McAllister said.
“The
transnational nature of these threats requires a joint approach consistent with
international obligations and law. Australia and the United States are
committed to future activities like this successful joint exercise.”
The
exercise acted out a maritime intercept scenario, with the ABF Dash-8 tasked
with providing visual imagery of foreign fishing vessels up to 290 nautical
miles from the USCG Cutter Stratton.
The
USCG interceptor small boat acted as a target vessel suspected of illegal
fishing while the Dash-8 tracked from the air. The Dash-8 located the boat and
provided imagery and position details to USCG Cutter Stratton, which
then responded to the threat.
The
exercise demonstrated the interoperability of the two agencies, including real
time maritime domain awareness capabilities. The crew from both the ABF Dash-8
and USCG Cutter Stratton, as well as the officers on the Maritime Border
Command (MBC) watch floor at the ABF headquarters in Canberra, all developed
increased awareness and skills during the joint exercise.
The
event allowed a sharing of operational experience throughout the planning and
execution phases of the exercise and built on existing relationships, providing
opportunities to discuss civil maritime security issues in the region.
Background
information on assets used
The
418-foot long USCG Cutter Stratton is capable of travelling at 28 knots
with a maximum range of 12,000 nautical miles. Stratton is the 3rd Legend-class
cutter of the USCG and her motto is “We Can’t Afford Not To”.
The
35-foot long range interceptor is capable of traveling at 40 knots with a
maximum range of 240 nautical miles. It enables USCG Cutter Stratton’s
crew to conduct boarding operations over the horizon from the Cutter’s
location.
The
ABF Dash-8 has a cruise speed of 242 knots and an endurance of seven hours with
a maximum range of 2,000km. The Dash-8 is able to send real time imagery as
well as other maritime domain information to the ABF headquarters.
Learn
more about the MBC here: https://www.abf.gov.au/…/wha…/border-protection/maritime
