US Forces conduct massive exercise ‘Valiant Shield’ in the Pacific

US military forces from the US Indo-Pacific Command are scheduled to participate in exercise Valiant Shield (VS) 2018 this month, around the Marianas Island Range Complex as well as on Guam.

The US military say that participants include the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, 15 surface ships, more than 160 aircraft and approximately 15,000 personnel from the US Navy, Air Force, Army and Marine Corps.

“We are excited to be here for exercise Valiant Shield as Guam gives us a world-class joint-training opportunity,” said exercise director Rear Adm. Daniel Dwyer.

“The Marianas Island Range Complex is a premier training environment that allows the joint force a unique opportunity to come together and train side-by-side at the high end.”

Valiant Shield is a US-only, biennial field training exercise aimed at ensuring the joint force is ready to conduct a wide range of combat operations.

During VS-18, US forces will reportedly exercise a wide range of capabilities and demonstrate the inherent flexibility of joint forces. The range of capabilities include maritime security operations, amphibious operations, anti-submarine and air-defence exercises.

This is the seventh exercise in the Valiant Shield series that began in 2006.