U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) arrived in Riga, Latvia for a scheduled port visit July 4.

Mount Whitney's presence in the Baltic Sea and in Latvia is a demonstration of our continued commitment to the collective security of NATO, while enhancing U.S.-Latvia relations as the two nations work together for a stable, secure and prosperous Baltic region.

Quotes:

"The crew of the USS Mount Whitney is very pleased to visit Riga, Latvia after sailing and training in the Baltic Sea with our NATO allies and partner nation maritime forces to improve our interoperability and cooperation, bolstering regional peace and stability. The crew continues to perform very well; we are very proud of what they stand for and what they do." - Capt. Carlos A. Sardiello, commanding officer, USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20)

Quick Facts:

The United States continues to demonstrate its commitment to the collective security of NATO allies and support for partners in Europe. All Department of Defense efforts in support of NATO allies in Eastern Europe fall under the umbrella of Atlantic Resolve.

Mount Whitney, forward deployed to Gaeta, Italy, operates with a combined crew of U.S. Navy Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners. The civil service mariners perform navigation, deck, engineering and supply service operations, while military personnel support communications, weapons systems and security. It is one of only two seaborne Joint Command Platforms in the U.S. Navy, both of which are forward deployed.

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.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet, visit http://www.navy.mil/.