The U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) departed its homeport of Gaeta, Italy, Oct. 8 to conduct a routine underway within the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.
Mount Whitney is conducting naval operations with allies and partners in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in order to advance security and stability in Europe. The mission will include routine training, maritime security operations (MSO) and theatre security cooperation (TSC) events.
“Working with allies and partners is the cornerstone to ensuring security and stability within the region,” said Capt. Mark Colombo, commanding officer of Mount Whitney. “We will continue to train and operate as often as possible to reach that common goal.”
The maritime partnerships amongst allies and partner nations are critical to the overall stability and safety within the region. The opportunities for multinational interoperability and combined operations play a key role in the overall mission of Mount Whitney and her crew.
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.
The U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with joint, allies and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.
[mappress] Press Release, October 09, 2014; Image: US Navy