U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (USNAVSO)/U.S. 4th Fleet delegates met with members of the Brazilian Navy to discuss upcoming interactions and cooperation efforts between their navies during the U.S. Navy and Brazilian Navy Operational Naval Committee (ONC) conference, March 30 - April 1 .

ONC Brazil is an annual conference to plan and agree to the various exercises and theater security cooperation events the U.S. and Brazil intend to conduct for the upcoming year.

This year's event was hosted by the Brazil Navy in Rio De Janeiro at the Brazilian Naval War College.


"ONCs are a key part of our ongoing engagement strategy with partner nations," said Capt. Wallace Lovely, USNAVSO's maritime operations director. "These face-to-face meetings help us understand each other's priorities and needs so we can work together toward mutual interests, which include improving regional maritime security."

This ONC allowed representatives from the U.S. and Brazilian Navy to engage in face-to-face discussions regarding their countries mutual goal of maritime security in Latin America.

Brazil and the U.S. have a strong partnership in maritime security, enhanced through many exercises and events. Cooperation and training events in the past have included Panamax and UNITAS Atlantic exercises, and recent anti-submarine warfare training with the Brazilian submarine Tapajo (S 34). All of these interactions resulted from work done at previous ONC meetings.

ONC Brazil resulted in a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed this year by Rear Adm. George Ballance, commander, USNAVSO/ U.S. 4th Fleet, and Brazilian Rear Adm. Gilberto Cesar Lourenco, Naval Operations Command.

The MOU outlines U.S. and Brazilian interactions for the coming year. Though ONC's have been held for years, the agreements they produce and engagements they lead to directly support the U.S. Navy's new Maritime Strategy, which emphasizes cooperative relationships with international partners.

USNAVSO and U.S. 4th Fleet support U.S. Southern Command's joint and combined military operations by employing maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations to maintain access, enhance interoperability and build enduring partnerships in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.

For more news from U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command & U.S. 4th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/.