USS Fitzgerald pulls into Sydney following Exercise Kakadu 2026

U.S. Navy Sailors, assigned to Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), render honors to Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigate HMAS Stuart (FFH 153) as Fitzgerald transits Sydney Harbor following Exercise Kakadu 2026, in Sydney Harbor, April 1, 2026. Exercise Kakadu is the Royal Australian Navy’s premier exercise and provides an opportunity for regional nations to participate in multinational maritime activities. U.S. 7th Fleet, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific. Fitzgerald is forward-deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Timothy Dimal)