The U.S. Navy on Wednesday completed an unprecedented simulated ballistic missile exercise between ships operating in different bodies of water, Navy officials said.
The five-day exercise, which started Saturday, tested the Ballistic Missile Defense capabilities between the USS Russell, sailing in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and the USS Benfold, now in the northern Persian Gulf.
“This cooperation … represents the latest in an ongoing series of defensive exercises intended to provide increased security,” Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, commander of 5th Fleet, said in a statement.
The exercise differed from recent ballistic missile tests in that it was a simulated shoot-down, and focused on communication capabilities between 5th Fleet and 6th Fleet leaders, officials said.
