Forty-two military officers from the People’s Republic of China who have been attending the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. made a stop in California to visit guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) at Naval Base San Diego, Oct. 16.
During the visit, the group of foreign officers toured the ship’s combat information center, crew’s mess, wardroom, flight deck, pilothouse, forecastle and central control station as well as learned a little about the lives of Wayne E. Meyer’s crew.
Military ranks of the guests included a lieutenant general from the People’s Liberation Army, which is equal to a three-star admiral in the U.S. Navy, and three other senior general officers. During their visit, they were given a tour of the ship by select crew members and taught about life in today’s Navy.
“It was a unique experience to interact with foreign militaries and these interactions help open lines of communications and relations at our level,” said Cmdr. Randy J. Van Rossum, Wayne E. Meyer’s commanding officer. “This was a chance to show off our ship and give a little taste of the U.S. Navy.”
Following the tour, Van Rossum exchanged gifts with the group that included command ball caps and coins as well as a silver plate featuring the Great Wall of China etched on it.
According to crew members who gave the tour, the foreign officers were not only interested in daily life aboard the destroyer but also about California professional teams like as the San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Wayne E. Meyer is currently working to complete its pre-deployment integrated training phase in preparation for future operations and deployments.
DDG 108 was named after the late Rear Adm. Wayne E. Meyer, who is regarded as the “Father of Aegis” for his service as the Aegis Weapons System Manager and later as part of development of the Aegis Shipbuilding Project Office.
[mappress] Press Release, October 21, 2013