July 12 (UPI) -- The Ronald Reagan Strike Group, including Carrier Air Wing 5 and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Milius, conducted an air defense exercise in the Philippine Sea on July 6 and 7
The exercise was planned and organized by Task Force 70. The exercise was coordinated by staff on the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Antietam, which is the Air Defense Commander for the Strike Group.
"Conducting force air defense effectively requires us to train together to defeat the threats that exist in today's complex environment," Antietam's executive officer Lt. Cmdr. Jeremy Watkins said in a press release.
"We push each other to operate at higher levels by taking advantage of each unit's strengths in live scenarios. Training in such a way improves the overall air defense of the strike group," Watkins said.
Milius is the most recent Navy vessel to join the 7th Fleet as part of Destroyer Squadron 15 since transferring from San Diego to Yokosuka, Japan.
The USS Ronald Reagan and its Strike Group is attached to the 7th Fleet in the Indo-Pacific area of operations. It is a Nimitz-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier with a wing of 70 or more planes, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
