USA: Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Showcases Assets for Southern Command

Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, U.S. 4th Fleet, visited Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), Sept. 19 to meet with Sailors from the expeditionary community and view capabilities of the expeditionary force.

Rear Adm. Kurt Tidd toured hands-on displays showcasing tools and vehicles from NECC’s capabilities. Featured displays were explosive ordnance disposal robots providing short demonstrations of normal operations, heavy construction equipment, a demonstration of a Riverine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and a riverine dynamic display including a boat ride on the riverine command boat.

“The potential for contributions to Fourth Fleet missions by expeditionary forces is vast,” said Capt. David McDuffie, N-5 director of concepts, doctrines, and plans for NECC. “Meeting the commander, hearing his concerns and providing him a better awareness of NECC capabilities was extremely beneficial for NECC as well as Fourth Fleet.”

NECC capabilities support maritime operations throughout the world. Seabees provide a wide-range of responsive military construction in support of operating forces, including roads, bridges, bunkers, airfields and logistics bases.

The Maritime Expeditionary Security Force is responsible for protecting and defending the Navy’s green water operating areas including port and harbor security and high value asset escorts, while the Riverine Force is responsible for providing an offensive combat component to Navy brown water operating areas.

NECC forces have supported a variety of missions and exercises throughout 4th Fleet’s area of responsibility. Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 participated in Navy Diver Southern Partnership Station and Panamax 2011 by sharing knowledge and techniques with other nations. During Continuing Promise 2011 Seabees embarked aboard USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) in April 2011 and worked side-by-side with host nation militaries, police and civilians during engineering projects in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Peru and Haiti.

In an effort to share riverine capabilities with other nations, Riverine Squadron 3, Detachment 1, completed a three week cross-training in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles with elements of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and Navy.

NECC serves as the single functional command for the Navy’s expeditionary forces and as central management for the readiness, resources, manning, training and equipping of those forces. NECC forces include riverines; naval construction; explosive ordnance disposal; maritime expeditionary security; expeditionary intelligence; expeditionary logistics; maritime civil affairs; security force assistance; expeditionary combat readiness and expeditionary training.

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Source: navy, September 22, 2011;