Multinational sea drill intended to send message to China postponed after French landing craft runs aground on Guam
The military exercise in Guam included US troops, British and Japanese helicopters and landing craft launched from France’s amphibious Mistral carrier
Multinational military drills on Guam designed to show support for the free passage of vessels in international waters amid concerns China may restrict access to the South China Sea have been indefinitely postponed after a French landing craft ran aground Friday.
US Navy Captain Jeff Grimes, chief of staff for Joint Region Marianas, said he didn’t know when the drills would resume.
“Currently we are working with our partners to include the Coast Guard, the Guam Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and other federal and local agencies and stakeholders to further assess the situation,” Grimes said.
“Finally, I have directed that we stop all operations associated with this exercise until we conduct a further assessment of the situation as we gather all the facts.”
A French catamaran landing craft ran aground just offshore, said Jeff Landis, a spokesman for Naval Base Guam. The vessel didn’t hit coral or spill any fuel, he said. No one was injured. Friday’s landing was meant to be a rehearsal for a drill at Tinian island on Saturday, Landis said.
