Dzirhan Mahadzir – April 15, 2025 4:55 PM
JS Izumo (DDH-183), destroyer JS Samidare (DD-106) and an Oyashio-class submarine. JMSDF Photo
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will launch its Indo-Pacific Deployment on April 21. A total of five ships forming four surface units deploy during the mission period, supported by submarines and a JMSDF Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
In other developments, the JMSDF’s Indo-Pacific and Middle East Deployment 2025 task group is now entering the last month of its deployment, making its way through Southeast Asia as it returns to Japan.
As per previous IPDs, the ships involved will depart Japan and deploy separately for different deployment tasking during the period of IPD25 with a JMSDF P-1 MPA and an undisclosed number of JMSDF submarines will participate in exercises as and when required during IPD25.
In a Tuesday release, the JMSDF said along with participating in defense shows in Malaysia and Singapore, the main exercises that IPD units will participate in are Balikatan 25, Talisman Sabre 2025, Super Garuda Shield 2025, Pacific Vanguard 2025, a joint exercise with the UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG), Malabar 2025 and Pacific Partnership 2025.
Balikatan 25 is joint military exercise between the U.S. and the Philippines with Japan and Australia participating in the drills and a number of countries joining as observers. The exercise runs from Apr. 21 – May 9. A Japan Joint Staff Office (JSO) release on Japan’s participation in Balikatan 25 stated that frigate JS Yahagi (FFM-5) would take part in the drill. Yahagi constitutes the First Surface Unit of IPD25.
Talisman Sabre is the Australian-U.S.-led biennial multinational exercise in Australia that will take place in July, while Super Garuda Shield is an annual Indonesian-led and hosted exercise with the United States with partner nations invited to participate with this year iteration is expected to take place in August-September. Pacific Vanguard is a U.S. Navy exercise with partner nations held around the Mariana Islands. Malabar is the annual naval drill between the Quad nations of Australia, India, Japan and the United States while Pacific Partnership is the U.S. Navy’s annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific.
Landing ship tank JS Osumi (LST-4001) forms the Second Surface Unit, with helicopter destroyer JS Ise (DDH-182) and destroyer JS Suzunami (DD-114) forming the Third Surface Unit while destroyer JS Akebono (DD-108) forms the Fourth Surface Unit. A single P-1 MPA forms the Air Unit while an undisclosed number of submarines form the Submarine Unit. The Surface Units will also include embarked teams from the VBSS (Visit, Board, Search and Seizure) Unit.
Countries that will be visited during the deployment are Australia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Malaysia, Marshall, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, United States of America and Vanuatu
The JMSDF has been carrying out the annual IPD mission since 2021, IPD24 last year included the deployment of destroyer carrier JS Kaga (DDH-184) to the U.S. West Coast to conduct F-35B trials.
While the IPD25 deployment is to begin, the IMED25 task group comprising of mine countermeasures vessel JS Bungo (MST-464) and minesweeper JS Etajima (MSO-306) with around 200 JMSDF personnel is in the final month of its deployment, having left Japan on Jan. 4 to head to Bahrain to participate in International Maritime Exercise (IMX) 2025, held in February.
“It is important for the JMSDF minesweeping force to carry out deployments like this so we are able to train to operate in waters outside of Japan,”, said Capt. Shinsuke Amano, Commanding Officer for the task group and also Commander, Minesweeper Division 3, during a media engagement on Saturday when the task group arrived at the Port Klang Cruise Terminal, Malaysia.
Amano told USNI News that minesweeping operations in the waters of the Arabian Gulf were easier due to the water being clearer in contrast to Northern Japan, he also said that as part of enhancing and advancing cooperation with the Royal Navy (RN), Bungo had an RN mine clearance unit embarked and operating from it during IMX25. An RN release stated that X-Ray Unit 1 of the Mine and Threat Exploitation Group (MTXG), successfully deployed and operated their Remus 300 uncrewed submersible to detect and classify objects of interest while operating from Bungo during the exercise.
The IMED deployment has seen the task group sailing a total of 7,000nm to Bahrain with stops in the Philippines, Singapore and India. The return voyage sees the task group carrying out a journey of 11,000nm with stops in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kenya, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Cambodia and the Philippines before arriving home at Kure Naval Base on May 10.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Japan Defense Minister Gen Nakatani stated that the IMED task group will dock in at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base from Saturday to Apr. 22 as part of a port call with Nakatani stating that the JMSDF ships will be the first foreign ships to dock at the naval base since its Apr. 5 inauguration ceremony following the completion of renovation and upgrades carried out by China , “China’s efforts to secure ports and other bases of operations overseas have become increasingly evident in recent years. The Ministry of Defense is closely monitoring these movements with great interest.”, said Nakatani.
The Japanese Defense Minister stated that the JMSDF port visit is a sign of the progress of cooperation between Japan and Cambodia in the security and defense fields and the visit will also contribute to making the base an open and accessible port to any country rather than being restricted to specific countries.
Related
Japan Announces Indo-Pacific Warship Deployment Ahead of U.S.-led RIMPAC Exercise
June 1, 2022
In “China”
Japanese Warships Return Home Following First Phase of Indo-Pacific Deployment
October 6, 2022
In “Foreign Forces”
Japan Announces 7-Month, Dual Big Deck Deployment, USS Carl Vinson Heading to RIMPAC
April 16, 2024
In “Aviation”
https://ift.tt/l41cVdi