Members of the Indonesian navy stand pierside as the amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) pulls into port at the Tanjung Perak commercial pier in Surabaya.SURABAYA, Indonesia (NNS) -- The U.S. and Indonesian navies kicked off an annual bilateral Naval Engagement Activity (NEA) with an opening ceremony at Indonesia Eastern Fleet Command in Surabaya July 21.
Rear Adm. Nora W. Tyson, commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific, and Capt. Mike Selby, commander, Destroyer Squadron 1, ushered in the NEA with Indonesian Navy Commodore Slamet Yulistiyono.
Yulistiyono said that while the focus of the planned events is training, the underlying theme of the NEA is relationship building.
"This event is one of the positive implementations of the bilateral relations between the two countries, based on a mutual respect and understanding," Yulistiyono said.
During the week-long series of training exercises, the two countries will seek to improve the professionalism of their naval forces and build relationships between the participating personnel.
Scheduled NEA events include ship tours for students, combined military operations symposia, a medical symposium, an aviation seminar, a military law enforcement symposium and force protection training.
Additionally, several teams will pair up for joint specialty training. Divers from both countries will conduct a diving and salvage exercise in Surabaya harbor; Naval Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 will team with Indonesian counterparts on a joint construction project, and U.S and Indonesian Marines will engage in a joint amphibious exercise.
USS Tortuga, (LSD 46), USS Ford (FFG 54), USS Jarrett (FFG 33) and USNS Safeguard (T-ARS 50) are in Indonesia to participate in the NEA exercises.
The NEA is part of an annual series of bilateral maritime training exercises between the United States and several Southeast Asian nations designed to build relationships and enhance the operational readiness of the participating forces.