Southern Partnership Station Wraps Up First Jamaica Visit

PORT ANTONIO, Jamaica (NNS) -- Sailors and Marines on high speed vessel Swift (HSV 2) completed training events and a Project Handclasp delivery today to complete the first of two port visits here during Southern Partnership Station (SPS) Jan. 9.

SPS is an annual deployment of various specialty platforms to the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of focus in the Caribbean and Latin America. The mission goal is primarily information sharing with navies, coast guards, and civilian services throughout the region.

During this visit SPS gave instruction on waterborne security, small boat repair, boarding team operations, land navigation and port security techniques to members of the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) and civilian port officials.

The capstone of this visit was a large Project Handclasp delivery. Project Handclasp is a Navy program that uses cargo space on Navy ships to transport donated humanitarian goods to ports all over the world. SPS Sailors and JDF members helped unload five kidney dialysis machines, various medical supplies and several tons of elementary school textbooks for the delivery here.

U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica Brenda Johnson attended the official ceremonies for the delivery of the donated goods along with Jamaica's first lady, Lorna Golding.

The first ceremony was held at a local high school where the textbooks will be held until distribution to several local schools.

"I am thrilled to be at this very special presentation," said Johnson. "It once again shows the heartfelt wonderful coordination between the Jamaican government and the United States."

A second ceremony was held at a local hospital where Golding said, "I want to, on behalf of my husband the prime minister and the Jamaican people, thank the officers and crew of Swift for the tremendous work you have been doing in Jamaica. The children will benefit from your books and now the hospital will benefit from your equipment."

After Jamaica, SPS is scheduled to visit Barbados, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.

The mission is coordinated through U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet (NAVSO/ 4th Fleet) with partner nations to meet their specific training requests. As the Naval Component Command of SOUTHCOM, NAVSO's mission is to direct U.S. Naval Forces operating in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions and interact with partner nation navies within the maritime environment. Various operations include counter-illicit trafficking, theater security cooperation, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, military-to-military interaction and bilateral and multinational training.

Fourth Fleet is the numbered fleet assigned to NAVSO, exercising operational control of assigned forces in the SOUTHCOM area of focus.

For more news from Southern Partnership Station, visit
www.navy.mil/local/CTF-151/.