TOKYO -- Every summer, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) deploys a fleet of ships across the Indo-Pacific region to conduct joint training, visit ports and invite locals aboard. This year, that engagement deepened.
One of the destroyers from the fleet, JS Samidare, has been making port calls that signal a greater commitment to the region. They include maintenance work at a Sri Lankan shipyard, the first time the JMSDF has serviced one of its vessels at an overseas port, and a visit to India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which sit strategically at the mouth of the Malacca Strait.
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