190717-N-PL543-1140

CORAL SEA (July 17, 2019) Capt. Patrick Hannifin, commanding officer of the Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), greets Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, deputy prime minister of Australia, on the flight deck during Talisman Sabre 2019. McCormack was among a group of dignitaries including the Honorable Sharon Hudson Dean, U.S. Consul General and Vice Adm. Michael Noonan, Chief of the Australian Navy who were given a tour of the hangar bay and flight deck control before observing flight operations. Talisman Sabre 2019 illustrates the closeness of the Australian and U.S. alliance and the strength of the military-to-military relationship. This is the eighth iteration of this exercise.