THE United States Navy and SA National Defence Force units are to stage a joint amphibious training exercise off the west coast next week, the SANDF said in Pretoria on Thursday. The operation, the first of its kind between South Africa and the US, will run from Saturday to Friday next week. A visiting US amphibious ship, USS Carter Hall, and the SA Navy’s support vessel, SAS Drakensberg, will both take part in the exercise off St Helena Bay. Dubbed “Exercise Rampion”, the operation will involve US marines and 52 soldiers from the four services of the SANDF. The SAS Drakensberg will take SANDF members to the US ship, after which the combined maritime force will conduct an amphibious landing near St Helena Bay. The SANDF says Rampion is the first part of an operation that will culminate in “Exercise Sea Lift” next year.