As the two close allies strengthen their military connections in reaction to China’s expanding regional reach, the United States commissioned a warship in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday, marking the first time a US Navy vessel entered active service at a foreign port.
The Independence-class littoral combat ship was commissioned at a ceremony at an Australian naval facility on Sydney Harbour, officially joining the US Navy’s active fleet. It was named after a Royal Australian Navy cruiser that was sunk while assisting the US Marine landings on Guadalcanal in 1942.