
The U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces (JMSDF) completed a passing exercise (PASSEX) in the South China Sea on May 18, the Navy said Friday.A PASSEX includes personnel exchanges, cross-deck flight operations, communications exercised, division tactics, a tracking exercise, and photo exercise. The event aims to enhance interoperability between the forces and emphasizes how important coordination and communications are while operating together, the Navy said.The South China Sea contains numerous contested islands, with China claiming most of them…