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U.S. 6th Fleet Meets with Romanian Naval Forces During USS Mount Whitney Visit

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS081103-06
Release Date: 11/3/2008 10:19:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Holmes, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe - Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

CONSTANTA, Romania (NNS) -- The commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet met with the chief of Romanian Naval Forces Staff Nov. 1 to discuss ongoing Black Sea maritime partnerships as a prelude to the annual Black Sea Partnership Cruise (BSPC).

U.S. 6th Fleet Commander, Vice Adm. Bruce W. Clingan, met with the Chief of Romanian Naval Forces Staff, Rear Adm. Dorin Danila in Constanta.

"Through efforts such as the Black Sea Partnership initiative, I am confident that we can build upon the idea of a global maritime partnership, increase our collective capabilities and achieve greater regional security," said Clingan.

The U.S. 6th Fleet-led BSPC, scheduled to occur Nov. 10-16, is an annual event to strengthen ongoing partnerships and increase interoperability with Black Sea nations. A self-contained headquarters for the fleet and task force commander, USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20) serves as the BSPC underway training platform.

Sixty-five representatives from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and the United States will participate in the BSPC evolution this year. The at-sea period includes workshops for helicopter control operations, junior officer and noncommissioned officer development, interoperability discussions, and an oil spill scenario. Additional topics to be covered during the cruise are humanitarian assistance; maritime domain awareness; navigation; rules of engagement; law of the sea; piracy; counter narcotics; visit, board, search and seizure; and customs enforcement.

Mount Whitney, which is homeported in Gaeta, Italy, arrived in Constanta Oct. 31 on a regularly scheduled deployment to the Black Sea.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe - Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/naveur/.