Amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) arrived in Lisbon, Portugal May 24.

The ship is in port to embark Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) staff members and to refuel before heading to the Baltic Sea to participate in BALTOPS 2016.

Mount Whitney is designed to be a command and control ship and, as the U.S. 6th Fleet flagship, will serve as the operating platform for STRIKFORNATO during BALTOPS 2016.

Quotes:

"The crew of Mount Whitney is thrilled to be visiting beautiful Lisbon, Portugal. We appreciate the fantastic support and the cooperation with the Portuguese Navy. We look forward to continued opportunities to increase our interoperability and cooperation in areas of mutual interest." - Capt. Carlos A. Sardiello, commanding officer, USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20)

Quick Facts:

BALTOPS is an annually recurring multinational exercise designed to enhance flexibility and interoperability, as well as demonstrate resolve of allied and partner forces to defend the Baltic region.

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.

Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO's (STRIKFORNATO) mission is to integrate U.S. Navy and Marine Corps forces into combined NATO operations. This is the second year in-a-row they have led the exercise.

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/.