FLEET ACTIVITIES YOKOSUKA, Japan – When Valiant Shield 2018 (VS-18) kicked off Sept. 16 in waters in and around Guam, submarines assigned to Commander, Submarine Group 7 (CSG 7) were there to participate.

Valiant Shield is a U.S.-only biennial field training exercise aimed at ensuring the joint force is ready to conduct a wide range of combat operations. During VS-18, U.S. joint forces exercised a wide range of capabilities and demonstrated their inherent flexibility. This year’s training included maritime security operations, amphibious operations, anti-submarine and air-defense exercises, enabling real-world proficiency in sustaining joint forces through detecting, locating, tracking and engaging units at sea, in the air and on land. CSG 7 assets also participated in a sinking exercise (SINKEX), in which several surface and air assets used a decommissioned ship for live fire training.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to seamlessly integrate our forces into the exercise and contribute to the overall training objectives,” said Capt. Harry Ganteaume, CSG 7 chief of staff. “In order to maintain our advantage and ensure our readiness to compete and win, we need to make the most of these training opportunities and continuously hone our warfighting skills.”

“Our assets performed remarkably well during the event,” said Cmdr. Randy Reed, head of CSG 7’s Exercise Plans and Policy. “There were a lot of lessons learned, which for our submarine crews and commanders is a critical aspect of operational readiness.”

Other participants included the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), 15 surface ships, more than 160 aircraft and approximately 15,000 personnel from the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army and Marine Corps.