By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chris Cavagnaro,
USS George Washington Public Affairs
USS George Washington, At Sea (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy's
forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) hosted
Japanese guests and command ombudsman for a daylight embark, Sept. 4.
Honorable Seijiro Kasama, mayor of Ayase, Japan; Japan
Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Tatsuya Futakawa, commander, Fleet Air
Wing Four; and Capt. John Bushey, commanding officer, U.S. Naval Air Facility
Atsugi were among the 22 guests who spent the day aboard George Washington.
"I would like to thank everyone for joining us while on
patrol to observe how we operate at sea," said Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery,
commander, Battle Force 7th Fleet. "Because of the great support we
receive in the Yokosuka, Atsugi and Zama areas, we're able to operate very
freely in this region."
The distinguished visitors joined the Nimitz-class aircraft
carrier during its patrol of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region to experience
shipboard life and gain a general orientation of the ship's mission in the U.S.
7th Fleet area of operations.
"I would like to thank everyone for having me
aboard," said Kasama. "Everyone has been very professional and I very
much enjoyed my time on the ship."
The guests toured the ship's mess decks, navigation bridge,
and even had the opportunity to observe flight operations during the visit.
"It was extremely impressive to witness aircraft launch
and recovery operations," said Kasama.
George Washington recently departed its forward-operating
location of Fleet Activities, Yokosuka, Sept. 2, and is currently participating
in carrier qualifications with its embarked airwing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5.
"Today's visit is important because it exposes the
people from Atsugi and surrounding areas to George Washington and CVW 5's
operations at sea," said Bushey. "We're able to showcase how vital
the squadron's training in Atsugi is to completing George Washington's
mission."
According to Bushey, distinguished visitor embarks help
guests understand operations between partner nations to enhance
interoperability.
"It's important for the U.S. and Japan to continue to
work together and build upon our alliance," said Bushey. "It shows
our allies that we are ready to defend Japan if necessary and protect our
combined interests in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations."
George Washington and CVW 5 provide a combat-ready force
that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its
allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
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