German Navy's Longest Deployment a Success, Commanding Officer Says - USNI News

Bayern‘s crew represented Germany and the German Navy during nine official harbor calls in Pakistan, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India, Commanding Officer Cmdr. Tilo Kalski told USNI News.

The 4,500-ton, anti-submarine warfare frigate also completed 26 exercises with other navies, including the nine countries in which it made harbor calls, Kalski said.

He added that one of the highlights was the involvement in the Annual Exercise 2021 (ANNUALEX) in the Philippine Sea, where Bayern joined more than 20 other units from Japan, USA, Canada and Australia. ANNUALEX was held from Nov. 21- 30, 2021, and is an annual naval training event led by the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF), with navies from other countries invited to participate. The German Navy took part for the first during the 2021 iteration.

“To take part in this gigantic exercise as the first German warship ever has been an enormous honor for me and my crew,” Kalski said. “JMSDF was so kind to integrate our full operational potential in the exercise and even our training priorities.”