Sixth Fleet Commander Remains Committed to Global Alliances, Maritime Ops: "U.S. Navy 6th Fleet's commander reaffirmed the Navy's commitment to global alliances and ongoing maritime operations, specifically in the Europe-Africa region, during a media roundtable June 14 at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
'International partnering with our allies is an effort we've been committed to for a long time,' said Vice Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr. 'It is critical to our safety and security. We're working and conducting exercises with our friends around the world to better understand how we both conduct business.
'Right now, we're performing an exercise called Baltic Operations 2010 (BALTOPS) which is a 6th Fleet combined maritime and land exercise in the Baltic Sea, involving our Sailors and Marines on the USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) and NATO forces of our coalition,' said Harris. 'We're doing an amphibious demonstration with the U.S. Marines in Estonia and a maritime pre-positioning force offload in Latvia. The mission is to promote mutual understanding, confidence and cooperation.'
Harris was also pleased to report that deployed carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) recently celebrated the French Navy's 100 year anniversary of naval aviation.
Harris said his attention is focused on France and other allied European nations and their assistance in ensuring maritime safety and security of African waters."
