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HSV 2 Swift Hosts Chilean CNO

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS101203-14
12/3/2010

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Jeffery Tilghman Williams, High Speed Vessel 2 Swift Public Affairs

VALPARAISO, Chile (NNS) -- High Speed Vessel 2 (HSV 2) Swift welcomed the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet Commander and the Chilean chief of naval operations aboard for a bay tour of Puerto Valparaiso Dec. 2, in support of Expo Naval 2010 and Southern Partnership Station (SPS) 2011.

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Victor Guillory, and Adm. Edmundo Gonzalez Robles, along with members of their staffs were given guided tours of the high-speed catamaran and briefed on its various capabilities and how its unique design enables it to support Navy missions.

"This is a wonderful moment when we can welcome the U.S. 4th Fleet commander and the leader of the Chilean Navy on board and show them how we operate and what we do," said SPS 2011 Mission Commander, Cmdr. Mark Becker. "Our current mission is focused on subject matter expert exchanges and strengthening our partnerships in the region, and this is a prime example of how we're successfully executing that mission."

While on HSV 2, Guillory and Gonzalez visited the ship's bridge, engine room, flight deck and also had a chance to interact with crew members.

"The men and women aboard the Swift are some of the finest we have in the Navy," said Guillory. "They are committed to their mission, and the work they're doing out here is invaluable."

"Opportunities like this are great for maintaining a positive and beneficial working relationship with our American counterparts, and we thoroughly enjoyed this experience," said Gonzalez.

Expo Naval is a one-week international exhibition and conference of technologies, equipment and services for the Latin America Naval Defense Industry.

SPS is an annual deployment of U.S. ships to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in the Caribbean and Latin America involving information sharing with navies, coast guards and civilian services throughout the region.

Commander, U.S. Navy Southern Command (COMUSNAVSO) is the naval component command for U.S. Southern Command and is responsible for all naval personnel and assets in the area of responsibility. COMUSNAVSO conducts a variety of missions in support of the U.S. maritime strategy, including theater security cooperation, relationship building, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, community relations, and counter-illicit trafficking operations.