Small boat crewmembers from the
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756) and a Japan Coast
Guard helicopter crew conduct a search-and-rescue exercise
in Kagoshima Bay, Japan.
Kimball’s crew are in Kagoshima to
conduct joint training and professional exchanges with
members of the Japan Coast Guard expanding on a memorandum
of cooperation signed in 2022 between the two sea services
which established Operation SAPPHIRE, a perpetual operation
to strengthen relationships, increase bilateral engagements,
and focus on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.
U.S. Coast Guard video by Chief
Petty Officer Matt Masaschi February 14, 2023
