U.S. Navy and Israel Kick Off Exercise Reliant Mermaid

NAPLES, Italy (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy will participate in Exercise Reliant Mermaid in the Mediterranean Sea, Aug. 12-15.

Reliant Mermaid, now in its 12th iteration, is a maritime search and rescue exercise designed to increase interoperability by developing individual and collective maritime proficiencies, as well as promoting friendship, mutual understanding and cooperation.

The exercise is also designed to promote maritime safety and security in the region.

U.S. 6th Fleet units scheduled to participate in the exercise are guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) and the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Leroy Grumman (T-AO 195), along with maritime forces from Israel.

This regularly scheduled exercise is not related to any real-world events.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts maritime security operations and theater security cooperation missions in concert with coalition, joint, interagency, and other parties in order to advance security and stability in Europe and Africa.

Reliant Mermaid 2012 Kicks Off

NAPLES, Italy (NNS) -- The Navy will participate in the regularly scheduled Exercise Reliant Mermaid in the Mediterranean Sea, Aug. 13-16.

Reliant Mermaid, in its 11th iteration, is an annual search and rescue exercise designed to increase interoperability by developing individual and collective maritime proficiencies of participating nations, as well as promoting friendship, mutual understanding and cooperation.

Training with other military forces enhances our mutual awareness and maritime capability of our partners. Reliant Mermaid helps create an environment that promotes maritime safety and security in the region, and interoperability among participating nations.

U.S. 6th Fleet units scheduled to participate in the exercise are guided-missile destroyers USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) and USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98), fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Lenthall (T-AO 109), and a P-3 aircraft from Patrol Squadron 9 out of Honolulu, Hawaii.

Reliant Mermaid is a regularly scheduled exercise and is not associated with, or a reaction to any real world events.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full range of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation missions in concert with coalition, joint, interagency, and other parties in order to advance security and stability in Europe and Africa.

Israel, Turkey, U.S. Set to Begin Reliant Mermaid Exercise

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) David Holmes,Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa/Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

AKSAZ, Turkey (NNS) -- The trilateral maritime search and rescue exercise Reliant Mermaid 2009, a four-day series of evolutions in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, will commence Aug. 17.

Maritime forces from Israel, Turkey and the United States are scheduled to participate in cooperative activities involving in-port harbor training, at-sea search and rescue scenarios and post-exercise discussions, each geared to enhance interoperability and strengthen ongoing maritime partnerships.

Contributing U.S. forces will consist of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stout (DDG 55) as well as staff members from U.S. 6th Fleet.

The annual humanitarian search and rescue exercise enables participants to increase the ability to share information and provides Sailors from each nation the opportunity to familiarize themselves with other navies' operating procedures.

The exercise will contribute to overall joint readiness in response to possible future humanitarian assistance efforts or maritime search and rescue operations in the region.