COVENAS, Colombia -- The Whidbey Island-class dock-landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) arrived in Convenas, Colombia as part of Amphibious Southern Partnership Station 2011 (A-SPS 11) on Saturday and are scheduled to depart February 6, 2011.
A-SPS 11 is an ongoing naval mission to the Caribbean Basin and Latin America that focuses on sharing professional expertise with partner nation military, civil and maritime services and providing opportunities for participating nations to learn from each other.
Embarked in Gunston Hall is a United States Marine Corps Security Cooperation Task Force that, along with Sailors from Gunston Hall, will be conducting professional subject matter expert exchanges with Columbian forces, to give both nations an opportunity to learn from each other and share best practices and methodologies in a number of subjects, to include Marine Corps martial arts, land navigation, live fire events, visit board search and seizure and water survival.
“A-SPS11 and operations like it serve as an opportunity to strengthen cooperative maritime partnerships. Through multinational subject matter expert exchanges such as this one, participating countries are able to improve capability within specific mission areas as well as interoperability with partner nations,” said CAPT Brian Nickerson, A-SPS 11 mission commander.
The U.S. and Colombia have had a strong working relationship in recent years. The two often participate in bilateral and multilateral exercises and provide humanitarian assistance throughout the region.
“We are looking forward to engaging our Marine brothers in arms in Colombia,” said Lt. Col. Paul Baker, commander, Security Cooperation Task Force, “They have a very impressive history in drug interdiction and counter- insurgency operations with one of the best riverine capabilities in the world. Our Marines and Sailors are very eager to learn from them and show them some of our capabilities.”
Gunston Hall is home ported in Norfolk, VA, and is commanded by Captain John F. Meier. The ship has a crew of approximately 300 Naval officers and enlisted personnel, and the embarked SCTF for A-SPS 11 has approximately 300 Marine officers and enlisted personnel.
Southern Partnership Station 2011 – Amphibious is a United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM)-directed operation implemented by Commander, United States Naval Forces South (COMUSNAVSO), supported by United States Marine Corps Forces, South (MARFORSOUTH) and carried out by Commander, Destroyer Squadron Four Zero (CDS40), USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) and a Marine Corps Security Cooperation Task Force.
For more information, visit Southern Partnership Station's Facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/SoutherPartnershipStation, or follow Twitter at: www.twitter.com/NAVSOUS4THFLT
For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, visit COMUSNAVSO/C4F Public Affairs by email at comusnavso-c4f_mypt_pao@navy.mil, visit www.public.navy.mil/comusnavso-c4f
For more news from Commander, U.S. Marine Forces South, visit http://www.marines.mil/unit/marforsouth
For more news from Commander, U.S. Southern Command, visit http://www.southcom.mil/