U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard crews conduct joint search-a
A Japan Coast Guard Mobile Rescue Technician hoists a simulated swimmer in distress from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball’s (WMSL 756) 35-foot long-range interceptor small boat to a Japan Coast Guard AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter during a joint search-and-rescue exercise in Kagoshima Bay, Japan, Feb. 14, 2023. Kimball’s crew are in Kagoshima to conduct joint training and professional exchanges with members of the Japan Coast Guard, expanding on a memorandum of cooperation signed in 2022 between the two sea services, which established Operation SAPPHIRE, a perpetual operation to strengthen relationships, increase bilateral engagements, and focus on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Matt Masaschi.