The HMAS Warramunga recently completed a joint transit through the South China Sea. In an Australian government press release, Commodore Jonathan Ley revealed the ANZAC class frigate completed the sail as part of a joint activity between the United States and Japan. Warramunga joined the US destroyer USS John Finn, USS Gabrielle Giffords, and Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami.
The Warramunga is deployed as part of the first Australian Regional Presence Deployment (RPD) of 2024. The Australian Defence Force has historically conducted multiple RPDs per year, with each lasting three months. The ANZAC-class frigate carries an array of counter-measures and radar sensors and is capable of air defense, surface and sub-surface warfare, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
The RPD demonstrates Australia’s ability to sustain an ongoing military presence in the Indo-Pacific region and is aimed at both maintaining and developing partner relationships.
These international engagement opportunities in previous years saw the participating fleet conduct port visits to Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.
