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Global Fleet Station Completes First Guatemala Visit

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS070703-01
Release Date: 7/3/2007 8:46:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Cynthia Clark, Task Group 40.9 Public Affairs

PUERTO BARRIOS, Guatemala (NNS) -- The pilot Global Fleet Station (GFS) completed its first visit to Guatemala on June 9, aboard High Speed Vessel (HSV) 2 Swift.

“We received a very warm welcome from the people of Guatemala,” said Capt. Douglas Wied, Task Group 40.9 commander. “This was a very successful visit. Everything was first rate, from the subject matter exchanges and port services, to the interaction with the local population. We laid a very positive foundation with our partners here and are looking forward to continuing to strengthen our ties when we return in August.”

In addition to their regular training schedule, Task Group 40.9 (TG 40.9) hosted Guatemalan military officials including General de Brigada Mario Alberto Aguilar Bran, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Vicealmirante Carlos René Alvarado Fernandez, Chief of Naval Operations; and Coronel de Infanteria DEM Fredy Romeo Reyes Garcia, Military Director of Intelligence.

For some Task Group 40.9 members, a highlight of the visit to Puerto Barrios was the visit to Colegio Cristo Rey School. During the visit, the students shared bits of Guatemala’s history and culture, and the service members in turn, shared their military experiences and backgrounds with the students.

“This was the best part of the port visit for me,” said Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class (SW) Richard Grant, from Swift’s Engineering Department. “I really enjoyed getting a taste of their native dances as well as getting an idea of what the city we’re visiting is all about. Plus, I really enjoy being around children and I can’t wait to visit with them again when we return to Guatemala.”

U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard training teams from Navy Expeditionary Training Command in Little Creek, Va., along with U.S. Coast Guard training teams from the International Training Division, based in Yorktown, Va., facilitated one-week training sessions in areas requested by the nation of Honduras. These courses included small boat coxswain, port security and vulnerability assessment and a leadership seminar. Over the course of visit, 63 Guatemalan navy officers and sailors trained side by side with their American counterparts.

Task Group 40.9, consisting of a command element, the crew of HSV-2 Swift, training teams from Navy Expeditionary Training Command and U.S. Coast Guard International Training Division, and Department of State representatives, is deployed as part of the pilot GFS to the Caribbean basin in Central America.

While deployed, members of the task group will participate in information exchanges and training with partnership countries. They are scheduled to return to Guatemala for another round of cooperative exchanges later in the summer.

The mission is designed to validate the GFS concept for the Navy and support U.S. Southern Command objectives for its area of responsibility by enhancing cooperative partnerships with regional maritime services and improving operational readiness for the participating partner nations.

Task Group 40.9 is scheduled to visit Belize, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Panama.