The U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) conducted a bilateral underway engagement with the Georgian Coast Guard patrol ships Tsonte Dadiani (P-101) and General Mazniashvili (P-102) on Oct. 18.
The engagements are a series of at-sea scenarios designed to enhance maritime capabilities among participating nations and typically include fleet maneuvers, daylight landing qualifications, division tactics and communication exercises, such as a publication exercise.
Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin Nehrke, USS Mount Whitney operations officer, said:
I think that formation steaming and tactical maneuvers like this provide excellent opportunities to conduct bilateral operations with one another.
The U.S. Navy routinely operates ships in the Black Sea consistent with the Montreux Convention and under the domain of International Law.
Mount Whitney, forward deployed to Gaeta, Italy, operates with a combined crew of U.S. Navy Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners.
U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.
[mappress mapid=”14122″]
Press Release, Image: US Navy