KRI Diponegoro-365 (KRI DPN-365) which is currently part of the UN Maritime Task Force (MTF) TNI Konga XXVIII-O/UNIFIL, once again received the honor of a Distinguished Visit (DV/VIP) from the MTF Commander, RADM Dirk Gaertner of German nationality, in order to review and directly lead the Periodic Capability and Readiness (PICARD) joint exercise in the Area of Maritime Operation (AMO), Mediterranean Sea, Lebanon on Wednesday (10/07) yesterday.
This PICARD exercise involved 5 warships, namely KRI DPN-365 (Indonesia), FGS Ludwig F-264 (Germany), BNS Sangram F-113 (Bangladesh), TCG Bandirma F-502 (Turkey) and HS Aegean F-460 (Greece) and 2 aircraft, namely Heli Panther HS 1305 (Indonesia) and Heli Bell 212 (Lebanon).
Several series of exercises were carried out including Advance Maneuvering, Photex, Replenishment at Sea and Cross Deck Helo Ops.
The Commander of KRI DPN-365, Lieutenant Colonel (P) Wirastyo Haprabu, explained that the Latma PICARD was aimed at strengthening relations between elements of MTF 448 UNIFIL in a multinational task force.
Not to forget, during the “Foxtrot” formation, a farewell salute was held for MTF Commander RADM Dirk Gaertner, who had completed his 2-year term of service in UNIFIL, and ended with a farewell speech from the German Two-Star Admiral to all Maritime Task Force soldiers in Lebanon.
On a separate occasion, the Chief of Naval Staff (Kasal) Admiral TNI Dr. Muhammad Ali conveyed to all Jalasena soldiers who were carrying out world peace missions to continue to give their best in every task entrusted, and to maintain diplomatic relations with friendly countries in order to achieve common goals.