U.S. Navy captain says multinational drill contributes to stability

A U.S. Navy captain said Monday conducting a joint exercise with like-minded countries such as Australia, France and Japan will contribute to enhancing regional stability."We have a common goal of an open and free Indo-Pacific area. And we have got like-minded allies and partners as we do with the French, Australians and the Japanese," Capt. Brian Schrum, commanding officer of the naval vessel New Orleans, said in a telephone roundtable briefing following a large-scale drill with the three countries.The six-day exercise "ARC21," hosted by Japan, was conducted through Sunday in southwestern …READ FULL ARTICLE