221004-N-NO824-0002

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76), cruises in formation with Izumo-class multi-purpose destroyer JS Izumo (DDH 183) and a Japanese submarine while conducting routine operations in the South China Sea, Oct. 1. Higgins is participating in multi-lateral exercises in the South China Sea in support of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Indo-Pacific deployment, along with the Royal Canadian Navy. Routine multi-lateral exercises like this strengthen interoperability and our mutual commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.