US commissions Navy warship in Australia, first ever in foreign port, response to China reach

The United States commissioned a warship in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday, the first time a US Navy vessel joined active service at a foreign port, as the two close allies step up their military ties in response to China’s expanding regional reach.

The Independence-class littoral combat ship – named after a Royal Australian Navy cruiser that was sunk while supporting the US Marine landings on Guadalcanal in 1942 – was commissioned at a ceremony at an Australian naval base on Sydney Harbour, officially joining the US Navy’s active fleet.

“Australians can be proud that this ship, designed in Western Australia by local industry and named after HMAS Canberra, is being commissioned here for the first time in the history of the United States Navy,” Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said in a statement.

The commissioning of the US ship in Australian waters reflected “our shared commitment to upholding the rules-based order”, he added.

The ceremony comes amid the biennial Talisman Sabre military exercises between the US and Australia, seen as a show of force and unity as China increasingly asserts power in the Indo-Pacific.