First ever joint naval exercise conducted between the EU and U.S.

On 23 and 24 March, the European Union and the United States of America conducted a joint naval exercise, as decided at the last round of the EU-U.S. High-Level Consultations on the Indo-Pacific on 2 December 2022.

The joint naval exercise took place in the framework of the EU and U.S. patrolling and exercising high seas freedom of navigation. The exercise involved USS PAUL HAMILTON, as well as EU Naval Force Operation Atalanta’s Spanish Ship REINA SOFIA and Italian Ship CARLO BERGAMINI. It included professional exchanges on boarding procedures, ship navigation, and training designed to improve interoperability and integration.

The exercise forms part of the shared commitment of the EU and United States to work towards practical maritime cooperation and support a free and open Indo-Pacific, in line with documents such as the EU Strategic Compass, the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy.

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The EU and the United States reaffirm their commitment to further pursue coordination and complementary work for regional maritime security to support freedom of navigation and other internationally lawful uses of the sea in the Indo-Pacific.

More information: European Union External Action