The U.S. military on Tuesday launched a series of war drills off the California coast aimed at bolstering an American-led response in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the Pentagon.
The exercise, dubbed Exercise Dawn Blitz 2015, is being jointly carried out between the United States, Japan, Mexico, and New Zealand, according to defense officials.
The war drill is "part of the [Department of Defense's] continued efforts to strengthen U.S. alliances in the Asia Pacific region," according to reports issued by the Pentagon.
The sea-based war exercise "offers the U.S., Japan, Mexico, and New Zealand vital training that will allow them to be where it matters when it matters," the Defense Department said.
The training also is aimed at preparing U.S. Marines for a much-discussed pivot to the Asia-Pacific region, according Nora Tyson, commander of the United States’ Third Fleet.
"As our marines come back from spending really the last 14 years very involved in a land war, it’s critical we take the time to exercise together and ensure we are as good as we can be in all those missions our countrymen expect us to do around the world," Tyson was quoted as saying by the Pentagon's in-house news network.
A Facebook page established to highlight the war games shows U.S. fighter planes taking off and landing on an aircraft carrier.
"Amphibious operations are really complex," Lt. Gen. David Berger, commanding general of the Marine Expeditionary Force, is quoted as saying in a statement of the official page. "As we train today at sea and ashore, make no mistake, our men and women in uniform are motivated and eager to become the best warfighters they can be to support and defend this great Nation."