DD109 ありあけ

021116-N-1810F-027 At sea aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) Nov. 16, 2002 -- Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) ship Akebono (JDS 109) cruises along side Kitty Hawk during a Photo Exercise. Japanese ships integrated into Kitty Hawk’s battle group during Exercise Keen Sword 2003. Keen Sword 2003 is the seventh in a series of regularly scheduled joint/bilateral field training exercise since 1986 involving the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and United States military. The purpose of Keen Sword is to train and evaluate wartime functions and bilateral cooperation procedures against the backdrop of a regional contingency scenario that has direct and immediate consequences to the U.S. and Japan. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Todd Frantom. (RELEASED)