USNS Spearhead Supports Southern Partnership Station 2014

Military Sealift Command Joint High-Speed Vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) moored to the pier in Puerto Castilla, Honduras Aug. 30, to commence the offload of gear and personnel for the final leg of Southern Partnership Station 2014 (SPS-JHSV 14).

Sailors, Marines, Soldiers and Airmen, all part of the adaptive force packages (AFPs) supporting SPS-JHSV 14, disembarked here to start their subject matter expert exchanges (SMEE) with the Honduran military, government, and health officials.

The AFPs are comprised of Coastal Riverine Squadron (CO RIVRON) 2, Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit (CBMU) 202, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 3, Mobile Diving Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, Naval Criminal Investigation Service agents, Engineering engagement teams, medical and dental teams, and various Marine components.

For five weeks, the AFPs will spend time working with host-nation partners to strengthen relationships and fortify joint interoperability in areas such as maritime security tactics, medical procedures, health prevention, dive operations, construction projects, weapons handling, safely handling explosive devices, and land navigation.

Working in a joint environment with all U.S. military branches is essential for mission success, but involving the host nation expands the troops capacity with the knowledge shared from both forces.

The AFPs are scheduled to remain in Honduras to work with their host nation partners until later next month when Spearhead will return to reload and transport service members home after completing the SPS-JHSV 14 mission.

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