Singapore - The ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus Maritime Security Field Training Exercise 2019, finished in Singapore May 13, following multilateral training in the South China Sea.

The Maritime Security Field Training Exercise, which included 18 participating countries, focused on enhanced cooperation between ADMM-Plus nations and information sharing, interoperability and multinational response to maritime security issues.

“We are stronger together than apart,” Rear Adm. Joey Tynch, commander, Task Force 73, said. “ADMM-Plus is a great opportunity to address shared concerns while strengthening the connections and confidence the free and open Indo-Pacific relies on.”

This phase of the exercise featured realistic cooperative deployment training, including communication and maneuvering drills. In addition to the Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) from the U.S., fifteen partner nation ships and seven helicopters took part in the exercise.

“Working together at sea is time well spent,” Cmdr. Andrew Klug, commanding officer, USS William P. Lawrence, said. “Investing time and training build our relationship and prepare our navies to work together during times of crisis.”

Following ADMM-Plus, USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) is scheduled to participate in the International Maritime Defense Exposition (IMDEX) in Singapore May 14-16. IMDEX is the Indo-Pacific region’s flagship maritime defense show and provides an avenue for stakeholders, industry representatives and naval leaders to liaise and collaborate.