A United States warship the USS Spruance (DDG 111), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer is on a routine patrol in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) as part of a Pacific Surface Action Group (PAC SAG) deployment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific.
The commanding officer of USS Spruance, Commander Manuel Hernandez, said “the USS Spruance is currently operating in the South China Sea in support of maritime security and stability of all nations, especially in the Indo-Asian-Pacific,”
Hernandez said Spruance is ready and capable. The Spruance team has trained extensively for this deployment.” Spruance recently completed Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) in the Central and Western Pacific with the U.S. Coast Guard and regional partner nations.
He said that in the past two weeks, we have operated in the Eastern Pacific with the U.S. Coast Guard and Pacific Island partners.
“Now that, we are conducting operations in the South China Sea. The versatility to conduct multiple missions proves our capability to execute a variety of maritime operations across thousands of miles of ocean,” Hernandez added.
Spruance is accompanied in the PAC SAG by Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Decatur (DDG 73) and USS Momsen (DDG 92). It departed homeport in San Diego on April 19 and remained under the operational control of Commander, 3rd Fleet, shifting operational and tactical control to Commander, 7th Fleet and Destroyer Squadron 15, depending on individual mission tasking while in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.
The PAC SAG activity is intended to influence the innovative and strategic resources of the three cutting edge destroyers, considering and allowing for a fast response to any scenarios in the assigned area of operation in the West Philippine Sea. - Carl E. / MC2 Will Gaskill, USS Spruance (DDG 111) Public Affairs
