Amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), in conjunction with the U.S. Consul in Amsterdam, hosted bilateral talks and a reception June 21.

Participants in the talks included Vice Adm. James Foggo III, commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, and Lt. Gen. Rob Verkerk, commander, Royal Netherlands Navy.

Quote:

"There is a kindred spirit of friendship and camaraderie between Netherlands and the United States of America. It's all about security and prosperity in Europe. We sent a very strong message of unity and strength to our Baltic brothers and sisters. Right now, the United States Navy has 840,000 tons of grey-hulled American warships operating in the waters of Europe, the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea; that is more than we've ever had since 2003." - Vice Adm. James Foggo III, commander, U.S. 6th Fleet.

Quick Facts:

The discussion was an opportunity to highlight the ongoing cooperation between the U.S. and the Netherlands in the security of Europe and the Baltic region as NATO member states.

Following the talks, guests attended a reception held on the ship's flight deck. A color guard ceremony was performed, and guests had the opportunity to view a photographic slideshow of images taken during BALTOPS 2016, which underscored the increased presence of the Navy in Europe.

USS Carter Hall is homeported at Joint Expeditionary Little Creek/Fort Story, Virginia, and is assigned to Amphibious Squadron 8. She is participating in BALTOPS along with embarked Landing Craft Air Cushion and crew from Assault Craft Unit 4, and Marines from II Marine Expeditionary Force.

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.

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