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HSV Swift Crew Hosts Ecuadorian Vice CNO

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS110114-05
1/14/2011

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

MANTA, Ecuador (NNS) -- The joint military and civilian crew of High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) welcomed the Ecuadorian navy's second in command, as well as other Ecuadorian government and non-government officials, for a tour of the ship and a brief about Southern Partnership Station (SPS) 2011, Jan. 13 in Manta, Ecuador.

SPS Mission Commander Cmdr. Mark Becker greeted Contralmirante (Rear Adm.) Jose Noritz, the equivalent of the vice chief of naval operations, and 35 distinguished visitors on the ship's quarterdeck prior to conducting a one-hour tour of the high-speed catamaran.

"This is a great opportunity for us to show our appreciation and support for the partnership we share with Ecuador," said Becker. "This is a very unique vessel supporting an extremely important mission, and we welcome the opportunity to display its capabilities and uses."

"We wanted to take time today and visit the ship that has brought aid and information to countries throughout Latin America," said Noritz. "The United States and Ecuador are working closely to engage each other through information exchanges and humanitarian aid missions."

During the tour, the guests visited the ship's bridge, engine room, flight deck, mission bay and also had an opportunity to interact with crew members while discussing the SPS mission.

"This visit planted a seed that will hopefully pave the way for future operations and involvement that will blossom our relationship," said Noritz.

"Our goal is simple. We are committed to building and sustaining enduring relationships with the Ecuadorian government and the success we've had during our subject matter expert exchanges here has been vital in accomplishing that goal," said Becker.

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

Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (COMUSNAVSO) is the naval component command for U.S. Southern Command and is responsible for all naval personnel and assets in the AOR. 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.