Prime Minister Tony Abbott has flown by helicopter to a US warship off Sydney where he told visiting American sailors their navy was a “comforting presence” in Australia.
For several hours Mr Abbott toured the USS Blue Ridge, the command ship of the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet, which is in Australia for joint military training exercises.
He was flown on board a US Navy helicopter to join the command ship as it entered Sydney Harbour early this morning.
Accompanied by NSW Governor David Hurley and US ambassador John Berry, Mr Abbott met sailors and welcomed them to Australia.
“I’ve got to say that it’s a very comforting presence in the world, the US Navy, and good to have you in Sydney,” Mr Abbott told them.
The command ship of the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet docked at Sydney’s Garden Island naval base ahead of the Talisman Sabre joint military training exercises with Australia.
USS Blue Ridge is the US Navy’s oldest deployable warship and is usually based in Japan.
On board, Mr Abbott also met with senior US military figures including the ship’s commander US Vice Admiral Robert Thomas.
“This emphasis on a common rule set for everybody, so that everybody has to access to international airspace and international water, that’s really what this alliance, Australia and the US, is all about,” Admiral Thomas said.
The biennial Talisman Sabre war games between Australia and the US will this year also include troops from New Zealand and Japan.
It officially opens on Sunday.
About 27,000 troops are due to hit the ground at Shoalwater Bay near Rockhampton and Darwin for the training exercise.
Ref : abc.net.au
