The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) and a P-3C from Patrol Squadron (VP) 9, along with Turkish forces, completed the Turkish-led maritime exercise Dogu Akdeniz, Nov. 5.

Quote:

"The serialized events carried out over the past four days at sea were extremely beneficial in building a shared understanding of tactics, techniques and procedures in surface warfare, anti-subsurface warfare, air defense and basic seamanship. We are very satisfied with the quality training and look forward to the opportunity to work with our Turkish friends again in the future."
- Lt. Andrew Recame, operations officer, USS Donald Cook (DDG 75)

Quick Facts:

Held biennially, the exercise is meant to increase interoperability between the U.S. and Turkey.

It provided operational training for participating units in the areas of planning and conducting anti-surface warfare, anti-subsurface warfare and basic seamanship.

Aside from Donald Cook and VP-9, participants in Dogu Akdeniz also included Turkish frigates, patrol craft, coast guard ships and submarines.

Donald Cook, forward deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting a routine patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet, visit http://www.navy.mil/.