Sydney - Australia -- The crew of USS Blue Ridge, the command ship of the United States 7^th Fleet, arrived here May 29, following completion of Exercise Tandem Thrust '01, held in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area, May 3-29.

Tandem Thrust is biannual a combined U.S.-Australian training exercise designed to train the 7^th Fleet commander's staff as a designated Joint Task Force (JTF) headquarters. This year's exercise involved more than 27,000 troops from the two countries and also trained the JTF Headquarters, along with the staff of headquarters Australian theater, and the deployable joint force headquarters in crisis action planning and execution for contingency response operations.

While here, the crewmembers will have the opportunity to enjoy sightseeing, cultural exchange and to foster goodwill between the United States and Australia.